Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Los Angeles Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
With under two weeks left, the Lakers are likely heading to the play-in for the second time ever. With so much still to be decided in the West, our DraftKings Reacts results for this week, show the answers to several questions related to the play-in, the Lakers and the top teams in the Western Conference.
Our first question asked who Lakers fans prefer to play in the play-in game.
The Houston Rockets were the clear-cut choice with 44% of the vote, but the Warriors aren’t far behind them with 33% of the vote.
It’s no surprise fans picked the two worse teams based on the standings. The Rockets are very young and don’t have postseason experience and while the Warriors have a championship pedigree, they’ve looked like an old team whose times are ending more than the old team that put fear into the league.
The Lakers have been ninth and the Warriors tenth in the standings since Mar. 18, but Los Angeles has impressed during this period, winning eight of a possible nine games.
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis healthy and the Lakers stacking up wins, it’s put fear in the rest of the league. The Lakers are now viewed as the team fans would least like to play in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns got the second most votes at 24%, likely because of top players like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and the team winning seven of their last ten games.
Given their record, Golden State garnering 18% of the vote is interesting, but that’s likely due to Steph Curry’s ability to go nuclear from deep. Even if you’re confident in your team’s ability to beat the Warriors, do you really want to compete with that offense for two weeks?
It’s not just the play-in standings that are tight. The top three teams in the Western Conference are within a game of each other. With so much parity, which top team is most likely to lose in the opening round?
The fans don’t believe in the Minnesota Timberwolves. Is it because Rudy Gobert can’t guard the perimeter? Not enough Karl-Anthony Towns fans? Who knows, but given the other top seed is the defending champs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, maybe it’s more about the other teams being good than the Timberwolves being bad.
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