Seedings in sports are their own type of special shorthand.
They’re supposed to be an indicator of ability and a promise of potential and mostly they are, except there are times, like right now in the NBA’s Western Conference, when the digit next to the name is an utterly misleading source and a sneaky distraction from what’s really going on.
LeBron James doesn’t often look or act like an underdog, and he and the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t going to feel like a typical one, assuming they survive the treachery of the play-in tournament and take their place in the postseason bracket.
Same goes for Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors, a No. 6 seed that will head to its first-round series against the No. 3 Sacramento Kings as a heavy favorite to advance, and a popular pick to carry on advancing.
“I don’t see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we’re healthy,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson told reporters. A reminder, if one was needed, that Golden State will walk and talk like a team that’s won four of the last eight NBA titles, not one that was just a few games away from missing the playoffs altogether.
It has been a peculiar old season in the West. The league has been the tale of two conferences, with the East essentially turning into an 82-game flex for its Big Three of Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
On the left-hand side of the country, the struggles of the most storied franchises has opened up plenty of possibilities for others, while for much of the campaign you could throw a blanket over the teams from fourth through 12th.
The Denver Nuggets started strong and didn’t let up behind the incessant productivity of Nikola Jokić. In Memphis, Ja Morant’s off-court issues aside, the Grizzlies have been a dynamic force that operates with dazzling pace and effervescent youthfulness.
The Kings have been one of the most enjoyable stories of the year, returning to elimination basketball after an interminable wait of 16 years thanks in no small part to the fact that De’Aaron Fox is worth the price of admission alone, pretty much any night.
So what now? Will the feel-good stories of optimism and smooth sailing continue to flourish? Or, as so many expect, will the likes of the Warriors and the Lakers come to the fore, having taken all that time to figure out their problems?
The Lakers began the year dismally, never found much of a rhythm while Russell Westbrook and his uncertain role were…
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