Why the Warriors Should Fear the Lakers

December 22, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12), shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24), and small forward Metta World Peace (15) walk back onto the court during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena. The Lakers defeated the Warriors 118-115 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Two words can answer why the Warriors should fear the Lakers: They’re coming. Yes it’s true, ladies and gentlemen. The Lakers are coming fast and hard and they’re knocking anyone out of their way. Currently sitting in the 8th seed, they aren’t going to fall out of their playoff groove, and may end up pushing the Jazz out of contention.

This is good for the Warriors, in a sense that the goal of the season is to just make the playoffs. It’s bad, however, in a sense that the Warriors want to play the Clippers, a team they’ve beaten two times out of three this season. The Clippers may have two all-stars, but the Warriors have players like Stephen Curry and David Lee who can match those stars easily.

Right now, it is clear that the Warriors aren’t looking like a playoff team. It all started when Andrew Bogut came back. Since then, the Warriors haven’t really been able to put too many wins on the board, and they’re watching their season fall apart. Of course nothing is set in stone: in fact, all odds and reports have the Warriors making the playoffs. They want to stay in the 6th seed, but that seems less likely each second.

The reason behind this is because Kobe Bryant is not only making his attack on the all-time scoring list, but also on the standings in the Western Conference. The Lakers have taken advantage of the recent struggles of the Rockets and the Warriors. Now they’re attacking and looking to advance. Fortunately for the Warriors, any spot they’re at in the playoffs is dangerous because of their home crowd and the hype surrounding this young team. Making noise in the playoffs will be no problem, but there’s a better chance of advancing to the second round if the Warriors face their rivals.

The Lakers are certainly not happy with being in the 8th position. At this point, however, there’s no possible way they’re catching the flaming Denver Nuggets, but they do have a chance of catching the Warriors. If they do, the Warriors will either drop to 7th or 8th, and be forced to play the Thunder, Western Conference favorites, and the San Antonio Spurs, the team with the league’s best record. The Warriors haven’t been able to win on the Thunder or Spurs’ home court year. Then again, the playoffs are a scary atmosphere, especially for the higher seed.

Of course, there is always the possibility that Jazz will break out of their slump. The Warriors wouldn’t like that at all, because this means that there is still possibility of dropping to the 9th seed. This would be heart-breaking for the Warriors, considering what type of season they’ve had. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers can put that much pressure on one team, making or breaking their season.

If the Warriors can beat the New York Knicks tonight, it’ll be a huge moral victory, but also a victory in the standings, as they’ll be advancing two games ahead of the Rockets. The Lakers aren’t playing tonight, but the Jazz are playing the Pistons at home. Who knows?