Carmelo Anthony: Lakers can reach Western Conference finals this year
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a reality check on Sunday in the form of a 111-89 loss to the Boston Celtics. While their defense has often been their big weakness this season, on Sunday, it was their offense that rendered them ineffective against an intense and physical Celtics squad.
Many people seem to feel that the Lakers, who currently have a 34-22 record and are in fifth place in the Western Conference, will end up losing in the first round of the playoffs. Some likely even feel the team will have to go through the play-in tournament. But former NBA star and Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony said prior to Sunday's game that Los Angeles can reach the Western Conference finals this spring (h/t Sports Illustrated).
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“We talk about the Lakers' ceiling,” Anthony said. “To me, I think they have a shot at a legit Western Conference Finals run. When you talk about their firepower, star power wins games in the playoffs, right?
“So they have the star power. Now it's about their defense. Can they get their defense back to being an above-average defensive team? If they can do that with the big three and offensive power that they have, the way they close games out in clutch game situations is very special. So the Lakers' ceiling, to me, could be that Western Conference finals run.”
While L.A. ranks 24th in defensive rating, it is 11th in offensive rating and first in overall field-goal percentage. It probably has the best star trio in the NBA in LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and it does have a few reliable role players, such as Rui Hachimura and newcomer Luke Kennard.
Seeding and matchups will be of the utmost importance when it comes to how far the Lakers will go in the playoffs. If the postseason started today, they would face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, a team they lost to by 23 points on Christmas Day, in the first round.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Carmelo Anthony: Lakers can reach Western Conference finals this year