After 53 losses in 72 contests, only 10 games remain in the Los Angeles Lakers' 2014/15 season to forget.
However, before grabbing a margarita and working to erase the memory of a brutal season, one should take a moment to indulge in exactly how odd this year has become for the purple and gold. Take, for example, the Lakers' opponent on Monday night: the Philadelphia 76ers.
Almost every fan of the Lakers wants a loss on Monday evening.
With a loss to Philly, the Lakers would be even with the Sixers in the wins column. Suddenly, sliding into the third-worst record in the NBA would appear more likely than ever. The drop in rankings would increase the Lakers' odds of earning the no. 1 overall pick from 11.9 percent with the fourth-worst record to 15.6 percent with the third-worst record. With the Lakers in full development mode and not even playing all available players in order to evaluate younger talent, a loss on Monday would go a long way to pushing the Lakers further into a losing tailspin.
After wrapping up in Philadelphia, the Lakers return home for a Wednesday showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans have already beaten the Lakers three times this season, and Anthony Davis and his cohorts will come to LA motivated by their fight for the postseason.
Then, on Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers come to bid farewell to Staples Center for the summer. Like the Pelicans, the Blazers have also beaten the Lakers thrice this season, and the trip to LA expects to complete a clean sweep of the season series.
Continuing the Western Conference theme, the Lakers follow up Portland's farewell with a home and away set against their cross-town rivals, the LA Clippers. Recently, this has become one of the most one-sided rivalries. The Lakers have dropped five straight to their Staples Center co-tenants, and going back further, the Clippers have beat the Lakers in nine of the last 10 regular season meetings. The majority of those recent meetings have not been competitive.
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While a win in Philadelphia would not waste an entire season of toiling near the bottom, a loss in Philly on Monday night would likely push over the domino piece that drops another four pieces to quickly add five more losses to the Lakers' historically bad season. If this all goes to script, which it never does, the Lakers would face a true test of character in the final five games. The season ends with the Lakers playing four of their final five games against teams with losing records.
Back to Monday evening, both the 76ers and the Lakers benefit from a loss at Wells Fargo Center. Since the start of March, the Lakers have only managed three victories in 15 games. Not far off, the Sixers have collected four wins in 16 games since the start of the month.
Ultimately, a loss for the Lakers would help the team's chances to move into third place in the race for the ping pong balls. With only 10 games remaining on the calendar, this sad season is fast approaching its end, and that end cannot arrive fast enough.
