The Los Angeles Lakers moved a game closer to the San Antonio Spurs' previously untouchable No. 1 seed in the West bracket of the 2011 NBA Playoffs on Friday. The Lakers beat the Utah Jazz at Staples Center to move to 55-20, while the Spurs lost an overtime thriller to the Houston Rockets to fall to 57-19. It was San Antonio's sixth consecutive loss, the longest skid the franchise has seen since 1997.
NBA Playoffs 2011: Lakers Move A Game Closer To Stealing Spurs’ No. 1 Seed
That leaves the Lakers just 1.5 games behind the Spurs in the standings. The teams have one game against each other remaining; if the Lakers win out, including that game against San Antonio on April 12, they’d finish 62-20. The Spurs would have to win each of their other five games other than the Lakers match to end with a tied record. If the teams are tied at season’s end and the Lakers have won the April 12 game (tying the season series at 2-2), the team with the better conference record would get the No. 1 seed nod. The Lakers have the advantage there, currently 34-11 compared to the Spurs’ 35-12.
So essentially, the Spurs must beat the Lakers to control their own destiny. This after leading the race by seven games just a couple weeks ago.
It's an incredible change of course for each team; the Lakers had been fighting with the Dallas Mavericks over the No. 2 seed for so long as the Spurs maintained a scorching pace. It's amazing what a bad losing streak can do when combined with a hot stretch for the chaser.
The Lakers host the Denver Nuggets in a major showdown on Sunday. Excepting the Lakers' game, the Spurs face just one more playoff team: the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
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