NBA reporter opens up on his talk with LeBron James about seeding - "Not upsetting the basketball gods by trying to manipulate the standings"
The basketball gods have been a part of NBA culture as it revolves around maintaining high-quality basketball for teams that want to achieve a lot in the league.
For LeBron James, upsetting the basketball gods is something that is not to be taken lightly, especially when it comes to manipulating the playoff picture for one's benefit in the postseason run. NBA reporter Dave McMenamin spoke on ESPN's "The Hoop Collective" about his conversation with LeBron James regarding playoff scenarios.
In terms of not upsetting the basketball gods by trying to manipulate the standings late in the year, McMenamin said, "You got to go out and try to win games but listen, not the Suns would want to play the Lakers the way the Lakers been playing either. But if you're the Lakers, you'd rather play the Kings in the first round and have that team to go through first."
As of now, the Los Angeles Lakers (41-38) are seventh in the Western Conference standings and have won four straight ball games with seven victories in their last 10 games.
With only three games remaining in the season for the Lakers, their playoff scenario will be intriguing to witness as they could either remain in the play-in spot and compete with the teams in the same position or be among the final six teams in the West by securing the fifth or sixth seed.
Possible first-round matchups for LeBron James and the Lakers
If James and the Lakers secure the sixth seed by the end of the season, they're looking at an intriguing first-round matchup against the electric Sacramento Kings (48-31), a team that happens to be first in offensive ratings at 119.1 with multiple shooters, along with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, leading the charge.
The Lakers can't match that team's high-octane offense by heading into a shooting contest but will have to rely on LeBron James' veteran leadership, Anthony Davis' elite two-way play, role players contributing and a collective effort on the defensive end as they can only hope to slow the Kings' offense.
But what if the Lakers somehow move up in the standings and secure the fifth seed instead? Well, then they're looking for a star-studded first-round matchup against Devin Booker and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns (44-35).
Since joining the purple and gold franchise, LeBron James has only played against Kevin Durant once in a Christmas Day dual between the Lakers and the Warriors, wherein, the Lakers were able to secure a 127-101 win. The matchup between James and Durant didn't last long, however, as LeBron returned to the locker room due to a strained left groin injury.
With a potential first-round meeting between the Suns and the Lakers, there can be interesting complications with James and Durant's playoff record based on which superstar gets bounced out early in the first-round.
LeBron James has been eliminated from the first-round of the playoffs seven times in his career. Durant has also been eliminated seven times in his career.