The Play-in Tournament in the NBA will get underway tonight, with the Los Angeles Lakers set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat hosting the Atlanta Hawks.
The most anticipated game will be the Lakers taking on the Timberwolves, with all eyes on LeBron James and company.
The Lakers have struggled all season and got into the Play-in Tournament after a remarkable turnaround following moves made at the NBA trade deadline.
With the Lakers being one of the world’s most successful professional sports franchises, the pressure will be on tonight in Los Angeles, and Chris Broussard of Fox Sports believes that anything less than another title is a disappointment for the Purple and Gold.
"Anything less than a championship is a disappointment for the Lakers. … LeBron will be 39 next season. He's defied Father Time so far, but they're like the Suns — tomorrow is not promised. It's championship or bust." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/IfTm0qm58a
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 11, 2023
With the Lakers spending most of the 2022-23 campaign sitting below .500, Broussard saying anything less than another banner hanging at Crypto.com Arena is a bit much, as this team was lucky enough to make the Play-in.
After the season this team has had, a second-round appearance would exceed expectations for the 17-time NBA champions.
Injuries have ripped this team apart this season, with James and Anthony Davis missing considerable time.
As if the injuries weren’t costly enough, the team needed to find a way to get rid of Russell Westbrook, which was an incredibly tough task.
Eventually, it got done, and this team flourished due to the arrival of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Anything can happen in the NBA playoffs, but the Lakers getting beyond the second round would be surprising.
They would far exceed expectations for a team many believed would miss the postseason altogether.
NEXT: Skip Bayless Comments On LeBron James' Legacy