LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to 2023 as a source of motivation for this year's NBA Playoffs push.
Despite a rollercoaster regular season, similar to last year, they're hoping to emulate their previous success in the end-of-term event. The Lakers wrapped up the NBA regular season with a 47-35 record, securing the No.8 seed in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles will now take on the New Orleans Pelicans in an away game for the first Play-In Tournament match, which takes place in the early hours of Wednesday morning (UK time). The outcome of this game, along with the result of the clash between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, will decide the No.7 and No.8 seeds in the tournament, adding to the event's excitement and importance.
Interestingly, the Lakers found themselves in a similar position last year. In 2023, despite a slightly poorer record of 43 wins, the Lakers clinched the No.7 seed due to tougher competition in the Western Conference.
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They made history by becoming only the second No.7 seed team to reach the conference finals in NBA history, following the 1987 Seattle Supersonics led by Dale Ellis, who averaged 24.9 points per game that season.
James, a seasoned leader, is drawing from his past experiences in big games to steer the team. Last year's playoffs journey taught him the significance of focus and understanding the physical demands of playoff intensity.
Ahead of battle against the Pelicans, LeBron James stressed the importance of a calm and composed mindset. Speaking to reporters, he said: "You don't get too high on one win because you have to come back and play again. Tuesday's game will be extremely hard, extremely difficult, extremely physical.
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The Lakers defeated the Grizzles and Pelicans to gain the No. 8 seed (Getty)"I've always known that when you play a playoff series - and I look at this like a two-game playoff series - if you win that first game, a team has multiple days to kind of sit on that feeling. Or sit with that taste in their mouth of defeat. So they're going to be extremely ready for us and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency that we had the previous game."
Earning the No.8 seed after winning successively against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Pelicans, the Lakers enjoyed a stellar performance from James who bagged a 28-point triple-double in the Sunday match against New Orleans.
Notwithstanding, fans of NBA pointed fingers at poor officiating, specifically touching upon a shot clock error towards the conclusion of the Memphis match which granted an additional 66 seconds to the Lakers.
An NBA spokesperson confirmed a blunder that could potentially affect the playoff seedings, as only one game separates the Lakers, Kings, and Warriors. The first round of the NBA Playoffs is set to commence on April 20. Game 1 of each first-round series will be held on that Saturday and the subsequent Sunday.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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