Top Western Conference teams have been put in the awkward situation of potentially dealing with the Los Angeles Lakers very early in the playoffs, leading to talk that some teams actively sought to avoid them.
Due to various injuries, the Lakers fell to the No. 7 seed in the West, though still had the chance to finish sixth on the final day of the season. With the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly giving up on pursuing the No. 3 seed, speculation grew that at least some teams were trying to avoid a first-round matchup with the defending champions.
In the end, the draw fell to the Phoenix Suns, who finished second in the West. Suns coach Monty Williams made clear that the team was not disappointed to face the Lakers, adding that anyone would be a tough draw at this point in the season.
Suns coach Monty Williams pushes back against the notion of PHX, as the No. 2 seed, being disappointed by drawing the Lakers: "It's not like somebody did something to our Cheerios … Everything you want is on the other side of hard. Right now, the Lakers are our hard"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 21, 2021
The Suns have been given a lot of credit for how they handled their business. They rarely rested players, even down the stretch, and only sat their starters for the final regular season game once they’d locked in a top two seed. The Clippers were among the teams that did give guys more rest days, and they weren’t really sorry about it.
Still, Williams has a point. Sixth-seeded Portland has been one of the league’s hottest teams over the last month, and the first-place Utah Jazz could have a date with Stephen Curry if the Golden State Warriors win their play-in game Friday. There are no easy matchups on that side of the playoff bracket.
