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It’s 23 of the most important games of my career, for a regular season,” James told the L.A. Times during All-Star Weekend. “I want to make a push to make the playoffs. I don’t want to see myself 토토사이트추천 not being part of the postseason for two years straight. It’s just not part of my DNA.”

The Lakers have to figure out chemistry issues on the fly with five new players in the rotation. But James is determined to make it work.

“I’ve always been confident in any club that I’ve been on, once we got into the playoffs, that we can compete with anyone, and I feel no different now,” added James.

Lakers Face Favorable Schedule in Final 23 Games

The Lakers are in a fortunate spot with the sixth-easiest schedule in the NBA after the All-Star break. The combined winning percentage of their opponents is only .483.

The Lakers have six tough games against three Western Conference foes, with two meetings apiece versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks.

The Lakers catch a break with multiple games against the worst team in the NBA. They meet the last-place Houston Rockets (13-45) in mid-March and play them again in early April. They also play the struggling Chicago Bulls (26-33) in a home/away, back-to-back series in late March.

The Lakers are trying to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Thunder are trying to fend off the Lakers. Both bubble teams meet twice in March.

The Thunder have 25 games remaining, including difficult games against the top teams in the west. The Thunder square off against the Phoenix Suns four more times, and play six total games versus the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Kings (twice), and Clippers (twice).