Vogel in position for title shot

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Lakers coach Frank Vogel was smiling when he was asked what it felt like to finally reach the NBA Finals for the first time, after getting into the league in 2001.

“I actually came in in ’98,” Vogel said, offering a polite correction.

Either way, the point was clear: This opportunity was a long time coming.

Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Paul Westhead, Bill Sharman and John Kundla all won titles in their first seasons as Lakers coach, and now Vogel, 47, has the chance to join that group.

“This career achievement is so far away from where I’m at mentally now,” Vogel said Saturday, talking while wearing the Lakers’ new Western Conference championship shirt and cap. “I’m just trying to play my part. Give our guys a plan, make sure everybody is playing together.” He makes it sound simple.

Nothing was simple. Not this year.

The Lakers are 64-22 this season when adding up the regular season and the playoffs, on pace for the seventh-best record in franchise history. For an organization with 16 championships, that’s no small achievement.

Vogel’s season started with championship expectations, which are always accompanied by immense pressure. He had to navigate his team through a preseason made rocky by getting caught in the political squabble between China and the NBA. And then came the devastation on Jan. 26, when Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.

“He’s been great. He’s been unbelievable,” Lakers forward LeBron James said of Vogel. “It’s been a crazy obstacle course for our franchise this whole year. ... He’s been able to manage it the whole time. Bringing in guys, losing guys. He’s just always been the anchor.”

The Lakers were sputtering in their early days in the bubble.

Vogel never flinched. And the Lakers have gone 12-3 in the first three rounds of the playoffs. The sputter is long forgotten.