James sprained his groin and left early, but fortunately, there was no big problem, the Lakers' first-round opponent, 3 to 1

Yesterday, James suffered groin discomfort in the third quarter and then went off the court and did not play. This scene, apart from Sister-in-law Zhan, may be the most tiring moment of the 40-year-old James we have seen.

However, everything is going in a good direction. Redick said after the game that James was fine even though he looked to have sprained his left groin. Indeed, James was playing with his teammates on the sidelines and was in a good mood. He also bounced back into the dressing room after the game.

So, his groin should be fine, and we don't have to worry about it. Moreover, the first round of the Lakers playoffs will start on April 20, and James has more than a week of rest during this period.

For the first time since 2021, the Lakers are not required to play in the play-in tournament. For the first time since 2012, the Lakers have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The last time the Lakers won 50 in the regular season was in 2020, so what happened that year probably doesn't need me to highlight, right?

Doncic commented after yesterday's game that the Lakers finished third in the West: "Very important. It's going to be my first home advantage, so I'm looking forward to it. ”

Reeves said after yesterday's game: "To be honest, I think we can win the championship. We have the best player of all time [LeBron] and Luka is probably one of the best players of all time. And that's exactly what you need to win the title. ”

Reeves said of James: "With him every day, he brings joy to the team. He was never in a bad mood. From the time I signed the two-way contract until now, he has always welcomed me warmly and treated me equally. I owe him so much because he helped me achieve these things. ”

Redick told the team that when he was hired by the Lakers, his first-year goal was to win 50 games and secure the team's third-place finish in the West, Hachimura said. Redick did it.

Tomorrow the Lakers will play the Trail Blazers, and James, Reaves, Doncic, Hachimura, Finney-Smith, and Kleber will all be absent. I have a feeling that Bronny could break the record for the highest score of his career tomorrow.

The Lakers' opponents in the first round will only be produced from the Warriors, Timberwolves, and Nuggets. We'll find out tomorrow.

The Nuggets are the least likely because they need to make sure they win against the Rockets tomorrow to finish fourth in the West and have home-court advantage. Although tomorrow the Rockets will no longer take turns to rest the main team like yesterday's Lakers, it is also because they have rested for too long and need to go up to the main force to maintain their condition, so the Nuggets will basically win tomorrow.

And whether the Lakers play the Warriors or the Timberwolves basically depends on the Warriors themselves. If the Warriors win the Clippers tomorrow, they will definitely be sixth in the West, and we will play the Warriors in the first round. If the Warriors lose to the Clippers and the Timberwolves lose to the Jazz, then the Warriors can also be sixth, otherwise the Warriors will go to the play-in tournament seventh.

Edwards received his 18th technical foul yesterday and was supposed to be suspended for one game, but the league canceled the T today. Since the Jazz are a weak team, Edwards will play tomorrow and basically win against the Jazz.

To put it bluntly, the summary is that the Lakers' opponents in the first round are basically the Warriors and the Timberwolves. If the Warriors win tomorrow, we will play the Warriors, and if the Warriors lose, we will play the Timberwolves.

No matter who they fight, the Lakers don't coward, they just want to play healthy, after all, our goal is not in the West, we want to win the championship.