The Los Angeles Lakers have met the Boston Celtics 12 times in the NBA Finals. And LeBron James doesn’t mind a 13th matchup and a possible win to add to the history books. Right ahead of the Playoffs, the 41-year-old expressed his desire on the Mind the Game podcast.

Steve Nash calculated which teams the Lakers are about to face in the postseason. “Houston or Minnesota, and Denver will play the other,” he said. “Then we’ll have…if we take care of business first round, we’ll play San Antonio second round with OKC in the West Conference Finals,” James added. Now, Nash asked the Akron Hammer if he sees everything coming together.

“Yeah. With a Lakers-Boston finals,” LeBron James said without a moment’s hesitation. “That’d be crazy.” Bron hasn’t played much with the Celtics in his Lakers era. However, during his run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the story was different. LeBron James has a 34-28 record versus the Boston Celtics in his career. “I had a lot of Celtics series when I was in the East. They don’t like me either,” he admitted.

As much as LeBron James dreams of a June showdown against the Celtics, reality bites. The Los Angeles Lakers are far from elite. Yes, March looked exciting with a 15-2 run. However, months of average basketball still linger, with defense being one of their biggest setbacks. At one stage, they sat fifth in the West with a point differential of 0, the purest sign of “mid.”

Now comes the real test. L.A. heads into a first-round clash with the Houston Rockets as a +450 underdog. Meanwhile, Houston closed the season strong, yet even they aren’t seen as Western powerhouses. So where does that leave LeBron James? Honestly, in a tough spot. Moreover, without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, this roster lacks firepower and balance.

Therefore, even Finals talk feels premature. The odds underline it clearly: this team isn’t built for June. At best, they’re fighting to stay relevant into May. But for as long as they’re meant to be in the race,  James shared his personal outlook for the playoffs. “My game one, my game two could be different,” he said. “Like whatever y’all need, let’s rock.” Looks like the 4-time NBA champion is confident about crossing the Round 1 threshold and entering the second round.

However, the real question remains unanswered: is Round 2 going to be the end of the Lakers’ journey this season?

Are LeBron James & Co. even in the title conversation?

The Los Angeles Lakers, a franchise built on deep playoff runs and championships, now face an unfamiliar script. This time, they enter Round 1 as clear underdogs. Moreover, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are sidelined for at least the opening stretch, leaving a major gap. Meanwhile, LeBron James & Co. are walking into the first round with +550 odds, while the Houston Rockets sit comfortably at -800. Now, that speaks volumes.

In fact, this marks the fifth-largest underdog spot for the Lakers in a first-round series since 1988, and the biggest since their +650 line against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. Moreover, history adds pressure. They’ve been +550 or worse four other times in that span and lost every series. And it gets even harsher.

In three of those cases, the Lakers were at least 10-1 underdogs, carrying a slim 9% implied probability. One extreme came in 1993, when they were 20-1 against the Phoenix Suns. Now, LeBron faces another uphill climb, hoping to stretch the fight until Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves return. Meanwhile, Houston enters Game 1 on Saturday as a 4.5-point road favorite.

As much as LeBron James hopes to enter the finals against the Boston Celtics, the odds aren’t in the LA Lakers’ favor. In fact, many feel that it’d be miraculous if they cross the first round threshold, to begin with. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if James can pull off one of his heroics and save the day for LA.