Lakers News: Ahead Of Playoffs, 108 Players Were Convinced LA Could Not Win 2023 Title

Los Angeles is out to prove the doubters wrong.

In an anonymous poll of 108 active NBA players conducted by The Athletic, zero of those athletes quizzed believed that your Los Angeles Lakers could win the 2023 NBA title.

62.2% of the players polled believed the, uh, Milwaukee Bucks would win it all. Instead, Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. were eliminated in five games by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.

Now, Los Angeles is moving on, having vanquished the Memphis Grizzlies (also not a team pegged to win it all by any players in this particular poll this year) in six games during its first round matchup. Now, the Lakers are sitting pretty as they wait to discover the identity of their second round opponent. That team will be determined today, as the Sacramento Kings host the Golden State Warriors in a definitive Game 7 matchup.

In fairness to those polled, the 43-39 Lakers will be underdogs the rest of the way through this postseason, meaning they'll have their work cut out for them to advance particularly far. The closest remaining teams in these playoffs by record are the Warriors and the Miami Heat, both of whom finished the season at 44-38.

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