'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABdAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAIBBAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEBQYHEkERIwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAxJRUv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Ax/xxx/g77R9/yubtZp7rHYgTWqpIFEX11VXJBHYljUcbXL3sfz99ZTSlGqdmyJ6jbKkUKBqf/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The LA Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in American sports. They have won 17 NBA championships, tied for the most with the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers are led by LeBron James and are in the play-in tournament. They are a dark horse for the title.
Last season, the Lakers missed the playoffs. They finished 11th in the Western Conference standings and struggled with injuries all season.
In 2021, the Lakers finished seventh after the regular season and proceeded to the playoffs as the seventh seed after the play-in tournament. It was the first time James did not have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. LA lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Suns went on to the NBA Finals.
In 2020, the Lakers got healthy late in the season and took advantage of the bubble format. The Lakers ran through the West and defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to win their 17th NBA title in franchise history.
LA Lakers' title run in the bubble
The Lakers cruised past the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the first round. They then crushed the Rockets in five games in the second round. The Lakers won in five games again in the conference finals against the Denver Nuggets.
Jimmy Butler put up a terrific performance in the finals, but James and Anthony Davis proved too much for the Miami Heat and LA won in six games.
It was the first NBA title for the Lakers since 2010. LA missed the playoffs for six straight seasons from 2013 to 2019. LeBron James was a part of just the 2019 season during that span. Including this season, the Lakers have made the playoffs in three of James' five seasons in LA. They have only advanced past the first round once, when they won the title in 2020.
The Lakers will begin their playoff journey in the play-in tournament this season. LA will host the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. If they win, the Lakers will earn the seventh seed and face the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Lakers lose against the Timberwolves, they will get another chance on Friday to make the playoffs by playing the winner of Wednesday's No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the OKC Thunder.
