EL SEGUNDO – Before the notion of “tanking” crept into the consciousness of basketball viewers, those innocent times when draft lottery chatter rarely started in earnest before May, a game between the second- and third-worst teams in the NBA would fail to register as more than a necessity of schedule.
Not anymore.
The Lakers host the Phoenix Suns on Friday and – Kobe Bryant’s swan song aside – it’s one of the most critical opportunities of the season.
And the Lakers (14-54) should lose. It’s all about the lottery odds.
At stake, of course, is the Lakers pick, which will become Philadelphia’s pick if it falls outside the top three.