The NBA regular season has come to an end, and the Western Conference standings are still confusing, and although the top 10 has been released, the suspense of the rankings may continue until the last day. Interestingly, the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, who missed the playoffs, may play the role of spoilers, will they become the Lakers?
Let's take a look at the remaining fixtures of the Lakers' main rivals right now. The Lakers themselves have three games left, which are against the Warriors, Grizzlies and Pelicans. The Warriors have four games remaining, and their opponents are: Lakers, Trail Blazers, Pelicans and Jazz. The Kings have four games left against the Thunder, Pelicans, Suns and Trail Blazers. The Suns' remaining four opponents are the Clippers, Clippers, Kings and Timberwolves. The Pelicans have four games left against the Trail Blazers, Kings, Warriors and Lakers.
In addition to the Suns, the Trail Blazers will face off against the Pelicans, Warriors and Kings. The Trail Blazers are 21-57 so far this season and have missed the playoffs. Still, they will go all out to win the rest of the game, and if they complete the upset, it is likely to change the ranking of the West, and the Lakers are likely to benefit from it. It is worth mentioning that after the All-Star break, Ayton averaged 20+13 rebounds per game, and there are only three people in the league who have such performances, the other two are Jokic and thick eyebrows.
Currently, the Pelicans, Kings, Suns and Lakers play each other in an overall record. The Pelicans are 6-5, the Kings are 6-6, the Suns are 6-6, and the Lakers are 6-7, with the Lakers being the most disadvantaged. As a result, half of the Lakers' fate is now in the hands of someone else, trying to win while waiting for the opponent to make a mistake.
The West is highly competitive, and the order of the standings can determine the outcome of a team's season. For the Lakers, although there is little hope for a top-six finish, there may be a miracle.