They are only 3 games out 6th. Warriors have a strength of schedule that is tough, not as bad as Utah but tough. With Tony now healthy and if there's a shift in standings I see OkC 1, SA 2 -LAC 3 (don't know their tie breaker). I do think the Rockets and Lakers can take 6 and 7. I rather he spurs or clippers in the 1st round.
the lakers lost by 1 to a healthy spurs with no coach, no system, no Nash, no Blake. They lost to a healthy SA by 3 with no Dwight, Pau, or Hill. It's plausible they can beat them since kobe went off both games and his playoff history against them even when they had Bowen shows he always goes off on them like clockwork.
The Clips are a team who you say well the Laker record against them sucks, but the fact is the first round in the nba is so long and drawn out that its perfect for Kobe to guard Paul for a whole series and fuck up the Clippers by making them play half court. It's perfect because there is no travel and he would have days to rest between games, and at the end of the day Laker fans will buy the tickets up with their cash and make it a 7 game home stand for the lakeshow. That and the first round being draw out means Pau can get his conditioning at home, which seems highly likely as he has been cleared for running drills already. Hell even Jordan Hill has been told he can return by May becaue of the progress he's made.
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