Veteran teams always talk about the “switch.”
It’s an excuse that underperforming title contenders use during the regular season. They believe they can just hit that “switch” and turn it on when the playoffs come around.
Why empty the tank during the grueling 82-game regular season? Save some of that energy for a long playoff run.
Well, a repeat of last year’s NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics will rely heavily on the league’s two most successful franchises finding that “switch.”
The Lakers are on a five-game losing streak, their longest since 2006-07, and could drop to as low as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
The Celtics have gone 9-11 in their last 20 games and have struggled to find some cohesion since trading Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder for Jeff Green.
Boston is currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference and would draw the New York Knicks — who have won seven straight — in the first round.
A Lakers-Celtics final looks more unlikely now than at any point during this season.
But teams believe in the “switch” because there’s a history of it actually working. And you only have to look back to last year’s Celtics team to find proof. Boston lost seven of its last 10 games entering the playoffs and came within one game of winning the title.
Can either find the “switch” this year?
