Written by: Emily Wilson
Many fans of the NBA, whether casual or fervently dedicated, dismiss early season wins and losses as insignificant. And during an 82-game season, that seems like an understandable approach. But what is understandable is not always correct, as is the case with that willy-nilly “November means nothing” attitude.
As a Lakers fan, there’s certainly no reason to panic or gripe about the team’s four early losses this season. The likelihood of them making it to the playoffs—being one of the top eight teams in the Western Conference—seems like a laughably obvious given, due to the depth of the roster, collective skill, extensive experience and lack of more than a handful of other conference contenders. There certainly aren’t eight better teams than the Lakers in the West.
But they will be challenged by teams that have had furious starts, and jockeying for position atop a conference with the Spurs, Mavericks, Jazz, Hornets, etc. won’t be easy—which makes all of these early games all the more important.