The race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference is really the only playoff spot left to settle, or at least the only one worth caring about, since whichever depleted team lands the East’s final slot is bound to be pummeled by the Milwaukee Bucks. That is not necessarily the case with the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers out West, if only because they have already lost a pair of their top-eight rotation players.
The Lakers still boast LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and for that they will be heavily favored against any of six potential first-round opponents, but the question of which team can best capitalize on L.