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Roundtable: Lakers should be very concerned about their NBA playoffs prospects

LeBron James made his feelings known about the NBA play-in game earlier this week when he said, “Whoever came up with that (expletive) needs to be fired.”

But the NBA may be celebrating all the talk that the play-in game has generated.

Of course, part of the reason James was led to rip the play-in format is because of the very real possibility that the Lakers may finish with the No. 7 seed and have to go through the play-in tournament to get into the postseason. They enter the Wednesday game’s as the No. 6 seed, tied with the Mavericks and ahead of the No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers by just one game.

The danger facing the Lakers is part of the focus of the USA Today video roundtable. USA TODAY's Matt Eppers moderated a roundtable discussion featuring Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina of USA TODAY and Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

LeBron James has missed a combined 21 games this season because a high right ankle sprain. Partly because of his absences, the Lakers could fall to the No. 7 seed in the West and be forced to get into the postseason through the play-in games.
LeBron James has missed a combined 21 games this season because a high right ankle sprain. Partly because of his absences, the Lakers could fall to the No. 7 seed in the West and be forced to get into the postseason through the play-in games.

The panel also discussed triple-double machine Russell Westbrook and the impact he’s having with the Washington Wizards as well as why the Phoenix Suns may need to finish with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference to ensure a championship run.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lakers should be very concerned about their NBA playoffs prospects