Lakers Still Favorites To Win NBA Championship
The Lakers are still the favorites to win the NBA Championship in 2020.
Over the past few months, this is a team that has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
Before the season even began, general manager Rob Pelinka pulled off his most impressive move yet and brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
The hope was that the All-Star center would mesh quickly with LeBron James to form one of the most formidable duos in the NBA, and that is precisely what happened.
While some pairings need time to develop, James and Davis took to one another like they had been teammates their entire careers
Through 53 games this season, the Lakers currently sit at 41-12 – good for first place in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, the year has had its fair share of heartbreak as well. Most notably, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant abruptly passing away in a tragic helicopter at the end of January.
James, Davis and the rest of the team pledged to dedicate the remainder of their 2020 campaign to his memory and that is precisely what they did.
“We want to represent what he stood for,” head coach Frank Vogel said recently.
“That’s the most important thing for us. We want to represent what he stood for.”
Davis said something similar.
“I think teams in the NBA just want to do their part in honoring Kobe,” he said.
“So we can expect that probably for the rest of the year, some type of tribute or something honoring him.”
Forward Danny Green and backup center Dwight Howard expressed comparable sentiments on Instagram.
After losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in their first game after Bryant’s death, the Lakers got back on track and won x out of the next x.
Emotional highs and lows aside, the Lakers have a lot of talent. And that high level of talent is a big reason why they continue to be the favorites to win the title this year.
According to the odds released by Sports Betting Dime, the Lakers are still listed at +225 to win the championship. Right behind them are the Milwaukee Bucks at +287 and the Los Angeles Clippers at +300.
Further back are the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics at +1467 and +1667, respectively.
A big test for the Lakers will be their first stretch of games after the All-Star Break. Although they are only playing a combination of the Memphis Grizzlies, Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors, each game is only two days apart. With that little rest, anything is possible.
If the Lakers can successfully only lose one game or less during that stretch, it should be smooth sailing for the rest of the season.
Related: Are The Lakers Signing Tyler Johnson?
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
