So while the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors were showering their players with shirts and shouts celebrating their respective achievements, the Lakers were doing their best to be t-shirt-worthy.
Yes, they are back in eighth place in the Western Conference thanks to 23 fourth-quarter points from Kobe Bryant (there is a reason why he retains a top 10 spot in the MVP rankings) in a 104-96 victory over New Orleans, they know their work isn?t finished.
?We got four games left. We control our own destiny,? Dwight Howard said, quite correctly.
The Lakers finish up with a road game at Portland tonight (where they?ve lost 12 of 14), then three consecutive home games against playoff teams Golden State, San Antonio and Houston.
If they win them all, they?re in.
If they lose even one, they won?t control their own fate unless the Jazz lose one of their final three.
So while today begins with the Lakers clinging to No. 8, there are still 8 days left in the regular season.
And 8 days is a long, long time with the way the NBA season goes through its twists and turns. One promising sign for El Lay: The Blazers will be starting Victor Claver and Will Barton tonight at the Rose Garden, as Wes Mathews and Nicolas Batum are out and J.J. Hickson is questionable.
