(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers had a minuscule chance to make the playoffs after starting the season 2-10.
Since the trade deadline, however, the Lakers were one of the best teams in the league by most metrics, so plenty of analysts gave them the nod as potential dark-horses in the playoffs.
They proved what they’re capable of again on Tuesday night when they came back from a late-game 15-point deficit versus the Minnesota Timberwolves to secure the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
And while some might argue that they should’ve never been down 15 points at home to a depleted team in the first place — and they would be right — the defensive intensity they showed late in the game was championship-caliber.
That’s why Skip Bayless believes the Lakers can go places this season.
Per Bayless, that ability to flip the switch and turn the defensive intensity up a notch is what makes good teams so dangerous in the postseason:
“They won because they turned into maybe the best defensive team in basketball. When you can defend at that high of a level, you can go places,” Bayless said.
The Lakers overcome a 15-point deficit to defeat the T-Wolves:
“They won because they turned into maybe the best defensive team in basketball. When you can defend at that high of a level, you can go places.” — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/cJOdRd11f3
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) April 12, 2023
Bayless has never been much of a fan of LeBron James, so for him to say that should mean a lot to Lakers fans.
The team has found strength in numbers defensively, and they’re at their best when they force turnovers and deflect passes and shots to push the break and create scoring chances in transition.
Then again, the Lakers will still need to get past the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round before even dreaming of a ring, and that’s not going to be an easy matchup by any means.
The post Skip Bayless Points Out Why The Lakers Can Make A Run appeared first on The Cold Wire.