NBA Mid-Season Analysis: Could the Lakers Win the West?

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00:00The NBA at the all-star break. A time to reset. Look at where the standings are. Those playoff

00:06positions. When we return from the all-star break, it's the home stretch of this regular

00:11season. Joe in the Western Conference. Phil, Eastern Conference in just a moment. Here are

00:16the conference odds out West. Oklahoma City, eight-game advantage for that top spot. Near

00:22an even money favorite at plus 105. Earlier in the week, it was exactly even money, plus 100.

00:29The Nuggets, a very far gap back. And then, of course, Joe, there's the Los Angeles Lakers.

00:34Always notable. It's LA. It's the Purple and Gold. It's LeBron James. But now, of course,

00:40with the addition of Luka Doncic. And it's not just adding Luka Doncic and being like, oh,

00:46can the Lakers make a run into the play-in tournament? The Lakers right now are only a

00:50half game behind the Rockets for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. If you're in the top

00:55four, you are hosting an opening round playoff series. Joe, can the Lakers make a run? Is the

01:02ceiling as high as it needs to be for LA this season to actually win the West?

01:10Well, listen, anything is possible given, you know, the two guys that they have on that team

01:15now. But you got to give them credit, too, as well. Because the first 30, 35 games of the season,

01:22Ben, were a little bit rocky, to say the least. But they've won 12 of 15 entering this break.

01:29And, of course, pulled off one of the most amazing trades in NBA history, getting Luka. So,

01:36listen, in a seven-game playoff series, I don't know that I'd be betting them over Boston or OKC

01:43or even Cleveland as far as I'm concerned there. But they are certainly more than capable of

01:49putting it together and making a run at the Western Conference for sure.