Stephen A. Smith says he and Rob Pelinka spoke at recent Lakers game

Star forward LeBron James made his return to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers in the team’s contest against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

The Lakers, however, suffered an embarrassing loss in that contest, as they came up short by 31 points. They lost again on Monday. Los Angeles is in a bit of a rut at the moment, considering the team has lost every one of its past three contests.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had a conversation with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka not long ago, Smith shared. The ESPN star is holding out hope that Los Angeles will represent the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals. His conversation with Pelinka was about that.

“Listen, Rob Pelinka rolled up on me at the Lakers game a couple weeks ago,” Smith said. “He like, ‘We know you rooting for us. We know where you wanna be in June.’ I said, ‘You’re damn right.’ I ain’t apologizing for it to nobody. Everybody know my dream matchup is the Lakers versus Miami strictly for social reasons. Obviously, the Miami Heat ain’t gonna be able to do that for me this year, okay, but I’m still holding out hope for the Lakers.”

Even when factoring in the Lakers’ recent skid, the team seemingly stands out as a real threat to qualify for the NBA Finals this year.

First off, Los Angeles employs one of the more talented duos in the league right now with James and star guard Luka Doncic, and the Lakers have enjoyed success in the games both players have suited up in this season.

Plus, the Lakers could still very well finish the 2024-25 regular season as high as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles, currently in fourth place, is 2.5 games back of the second-place Houston Rockets with 11 games left on the storied franchise’s 82-game schedule.

If the Lakers were to qualify for the NBA Finals, it would mark the team’s first appearance in the championship series since 2020. Los Angeles was led by James along with star big man Anthony Davis at that time, and the Lakers defeated the Heat in six games in that year’s Finals matchup.

Los Angeles could soon take a step in the right direction toward making Smith’s wish a reality by stopping the bleeding and getting back in the win column.

The Lakers will aim to avoid their fourth consecutive defeat when they take on the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, the Pacers are riding a five-game winning streak at the moment and have been a tough out at home this season, as evidenced by their home record of 24-10.