The Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs for only the fifth time in franchise history last season finishing with only 27 wins to end a forgettable year for the purple and gold. Heading into the 2014-15 NBA season, head coach Byron Scott hopes to get his team back on track with the team facing long odds to make the postseason.
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Although the odds are not in the the Lakers’ favor to make the playoffs in a highly competitive Western Conference, Scott is loving the fact that everyone is already writing off his team.
On The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Wednesday, Scott talked about the Lakers potentially making the playoffs, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Byron on playoffs: "We'll see – that's our goal..no doubt about that. We love the fact that everybody's kinda written us off." (on @theherd)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 8, 2014
With the West stacked from top to bottom, Kobe Bryant and company will have a massive hill to climb in order to clinch one of eight spots in the conference. The West seems to get better every single year with teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder emerging as serious contenders over the last few seasons.
Along with teams on the rise, the San Antonio Spurs remain the team to beat while the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies continue to be a threat for playoff spots in the West.
Even though Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans are starting to emerge as legitimate playoff contenders. Both teams have put together talented young roster that could breakout this season or in the near future.
Needless to say, Kobe’s path to the postseason in his 19th year in the league could be the toughest yet. Scott remains confident that his team has a shot with the team they’ve assembled, but only time will tell if that is the case.
Currently, the Lakers have a projected win total of 31.5, according to Sportsbook.ag.
[divide]Lakers Post-Game: Byron Scott Talks Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson Debut
