One thing in common: They’re ‘happy to have a shot’
LeBron James and the Lakers are back in the play-in tournament. So is Stephen Curry, as he and the Warriors will be fighting for their season. And Jimmy Butler returns as well, after this round last year was the first step on the Heat’s way to the NBA Finals.
The postseason — not technically the playoffs, yet — gets underway Tuesday with a pair of Western Conference matchups. The Lakers visit the Pelicans with the winner securing the No. 7 seed and a series with the defending champion Nuggets in Round 1. And then the Warriors face the host Kings, an elimination game for both teams.
The Eastern Conference takes the stage Wednesday: the 76ers play Phost to the Heat in a game to decide the No. 7 seed, and the Hawks visit the Bulls with the season on the line for those clubs.
The Lakers forced a rematch of Sunday’s regular-season finale with a 128-104 victory in New Orleans that knocked the Pelicans out of the sixth seed. Now the Lakers expect the Pelicans to respond as if this were Game 2 of a playoff series.
“You win that first game and a team has multiple days to kind of sit on that feeling, sit with that taste in their mouth of defeat, so they’re going to be extremely ready for us and we have to come in with the same sense of urgency,” said the 39-year-old James, who is playing in his 21st NBA season.
The Lakers and Heat showed that the play-in can be a springboard to bigger and better things last year; the Lakers reached the Western Conference finals, the Heat reached the NBA Finals.
“We’re not the same group as last year,” Butler said. “We — I — are very confident in the guys that we do have, and we know what we’re capable of.”
The Warriors are a short bus ride north for an elimination game against the Kings, on the same floor where the Warriors won a road Game 7 in Round 1 last season.
“We’re happy to have a shot,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
So are the Kings, who had an up-anddown season — but have a chance to vanquish the memory of falling in the playoffs to the Warriors a year ago.
“Let’s frickin’ go get it,” Kings coach Mike Brown said.
MATCHUPS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 8 Heat (46-36) at No. 7 76ers (47-35) 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (ESPN)
Season series: Split 2-2.
At stake: Winner plays at the Knicks in Game 1 on Saturday; loser plays elimination game Friday. No. 10 Hawks (36-46) at No. 9 Bulls (39-43) 9:30 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN) Season series: Bulls 2-1.
At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated. WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 8 Lakers (47-35) at No. 7 Pelicans (49-33) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (TNT) Season series: Lakers 3-1.
At stake: Winner plays at Nuggets in Game 1 on Sunday; loser plays elimination game Friday. No. 10 Warriors (46-36) at No. 9 Kings (46-36) 10 p.m. Tuesday (TNT) Season series: Split 2-2.
At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated.