LeBron James explains the difference between the Play-in and the playoffs

After months of ups and downs, the Los Angeles Lakers finally put themselves in a position to make the NBA playoffs. First, they’ll need to get past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-in Tournament to secure their spot in the postseason.

Of course, the Lakers have been one of the best teams in the Association since the All-Star break, so oddsmakers, fans, analysts, and even them like their chances of moving on and putting together a deep playoff run.

Even LeBron James is optimistic ahead of their Play-in matchup. However, he knows they still need to get the job done, which is why they’re not exactly satisfied with being in this position in the first place.

LeBron James Opens Up Ahead Of The Play-In Game

“It’s different cause usually in the postseason you have multiple days of prep for a team,” James told The Athletic. “But you literally have one day to prep. … For us, it’s just good that we don’t need to travel. We’ve traveled a lot lately. It’s good that we get to stay here, but we shouldn’t be comfortable. We have to stay on edge and get ready for the game.”

“We put ourselves in a position where we can move on,” James said. “That’s all we asked for. … We had games that we could’ve won. We had games that we should’ve won. We had some things that didn’t go our way. So, to know where we are today, you can be happy about that but not satisfied.”

Lakers Won’t Overlook The Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be down two key men with Rudy Gobert (suspension) and Jaden McDaniels (fractured hand) out for this key game. Even so, LeBron won’t overlook a dangerous team like them:

“It’s a challenge versus everybody, and Minnesota is no different,” James said. “When you got guys like KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) and Anthony Edwards, those guys can both go for 40 against you. … You have a very cerebral, solid point guard in Mike Conley who’s been in multiple playoff games. So, listen, we know what we’re getting ourselves into.”

The Lakers will always have a chance to win for as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, regardless of who they’re facing. But they’ll have to be near perfect if they want to make history this season.