So here is how things stand going into the last week of the season …
The Lakers control their own destiny after getting yet another yeoman’s performance Wednesday night from Kobe Bryant, who played all 48 minutes and led them to their first victory of the season of the second night of a back-to-back. Yes, you read that correctly: Their first win on the second night of a back-to-back. They had been 0-15.
Bryant scored a season-high 47 points in a 113-106 victory over the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers, who started four rookies alongside LeMarcus Aldridge. The Lakers moved a full game up on the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference — but that sentence can be deceiving.
The Lakers’ margin for error is zero, because if they finish in a tie with Utah, they lose the tiebreaker to the Jazz.
If they win out, they’re in. If they don’t, who knows?
”We’ve got no breathing room at all,” Bryant said. ”I’m still on edge. We’ve got to win three more games and we’re in.”
Those games will be against the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets, and all of them are at Staples Center, where El Lay is 26-12.
Tonight features only two games on the NBA schedule, but it’s a night that’ll be worth watching as the New York Knicks, 0-3 against the Bulls this season, go into Chicago looking for their 14th consecutive victory. Also, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to strengthen their hold on home-court advantage throughout the West playoffs as they take on the Golden State Warriors.
In this preview with CineSport’ Noah Coslov, our own Moke Hamilton says Chicago is the biggest obstacle in the way of New York reaching the conference finals, where they would presumably play the Miami Heat, who locked up home court throughout the playoffs by defeating the Washington Wizards 103-98 Wednesday despite resting their superstuds.
@ A.J.: Taken literally, I guess it’d be more correct to say “fate” instead of “destiny.” But really? It is in their hands whether or not they make the playoffs or not, which was the point.
For the record, the Lakers don’t control their own destiny. Never have, never will. By definition, they can’t control their own destiny. It drives me crazy whenever the sports media spouts that bozo line that so and so controls their own destiny. How can you control your own destiny? That doesn’t even make any sense.
I feel better now.