After the last games were played in the NBA’s regular season, the dust finally settled, and the No. 1 to 6 seeds for both conferences (East and West)  were finally determined. As to who will be No. 7 and 8 seeds is yet unknown.

In the East, via the play-in tournament, the Philadelphia Sixers, the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, and the Atlanta Hawks are vying for the last two spots for the playoffs. Out West, the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Los Angeles Lakers are the last teams standing.

The Lakers had to defeat the Pelicans to place 8^th in the standings after the regular season and must hand the former another loss to secure the 7^th seed going into the playoffs.

It should be remembered that last year, the Lakers also had to survive the play-in tournament and ended up as No. 7 in the West. Despite being the underdogs, they defeated the 2nd-seeded Grizzlies. They also booted out the 6th-seeded Warriors, then the defending champions,  becoming one of the only two (2) 7th-seed to reach the Western Conference finals. Their magical run from a dismal 2-10 start ended when the Nuggets, the eventual champion, swept them in 4 straight games.

The defending champs Nuggets unexpectedly ended at the No. 2 spot in the West. The Lakers are staring at the possibility of duking it out with their last year’s Western Conference tormentors should they defeat the Pelicans and become 7^th-seeded.  The Nuggets also swept the Lakers in their regular season tussles.

The Lakers are seemingly incapable of solving the Nuggets’ riddle. They have not defeated the defending champs in their last 8 games. Thus, sports analysts and basketball pundits say it would be better for them to intentionally drop their game against the Pelicans and prepare themselves for the battle for the 8^th seed against the winner of the Warriors-Kings knock-out game. They suggest the Lakers tank in their first play-in tournament game to avoid the Nuggets.

Should the Lakers end up at No. 8 in the West, they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who surprisingly snatched the No. 1 seed.  And the oddsmakers may consider them favorites considering the latter defeated the former thrice in four games during the regular season.

But what is the guarantee that the Lakers will end up defeating the Warriors-Kings tussle winner, considering how they performed against both teams during the regular season? They lost their four regular games against the Kings. The Warriors hold a 3-1 win-loss record against them. However, it should be noted that in their 2 losses against the Warriors, Anthony Davis, a vital cog in both ends of the floor for the Lakers, played only for a few minutes in one and did not play at all in the other because of injuries.

So, the Lakers can pick their poison. Win their game against the Pelicans to ensure they play in the playoffs (unfortunately against the defending champions Nuggets), or go for all of their marbles in a do-or-die game against the winner of the 9 vs 10 play-in match-up. The Warriors and the Kings are definitely no pushovers. They will not give the win to the Lakers on a silver platter. Neither of those two teams will just roll over and die.

What could go in the Lakers’ favor should they vie for the No. 8 spot (in case they lose the game against the Pelicans either on purpose or otherwise) is them playing on their homecourt and the fact that Lebron and his crew play differently when the stakes are high. It is hard to disregard the fact that they have won 14 of their last 20 games.

Nobody knows which way the Lakers go. Whatever decisions the think-tank of the Lakers organization comes out with, there’s one serious matter to consider – the extent of the injury Anthony Davis suffered in their previous games against the Pelicans. If the Lakers decide to go all out to notch the 7^th seed, will Davis be able to play?  Is he 100% healthy?

The Lakers must ground Davis if playing him would aggravate his injury and jeopardize his health and their chances in the playoffs. Let his aching back heal a little bit more. And should they decide to go this route, they might as well either rest Lebron or play him sparingly. Allow the team’s main stars to reserve their strength and unleash them in their matchup against the Warriors or the Kings.

But what if the Pelicans are also thinking of taking their chances against the winner of the no. 9 and no. 10 teams instead of facing the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs?

Tanking their initial play-in tournament game is perhaps not in the minds of both the Lakers and the Pelicans. Regardless of the consequences of winning that game, both teams owe it to NBA fans to give their all. Their credibility will definitely get a hit if they do not play to win. They will perhaps be branded as cowards for not wanting to face the Nuggets in a playoff series.