Lakers are historic underdogs against Thunder. Heres why

There are underdogs, and then there are the kind of underdogs that look like they just wandered into the wrong NBA arena. The Lakers aren’t just staring up at the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, they’re squinting at them through a telescope. Thankfully for the Lakers, this is not uncharted territory.Ahead of their first-round playoff series against the much younger, faster and deeper Rockets, the Lakers opened as +475 underdogs.Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Rockets were sitting comfortably at -650. The Lakers didn’t just survive that series, they deconstructed it.

Over the course of six grueling games, coach JJ Redick and the Lakers stripped away Houston’s superpower on the offensive glass and extra possessions.By Game 6 in Houston, the Lakers dominated those categories and held the Rockets to the lowest scoring total than any team thus far in the postseason. Yes, Kevin Durant did not play in five of the six games, and his injury shifted the balance, but that doesn’t erase the Lakers’ execution.

Especially without their top scorer. Now comes the Western Conference semifinals.By virtue of their victory over the Rockets in six games, the Lakers now earn the right to get absolutely smashed by the reigning champion Thunder. The second-round odds look more like a No.

16 vs.No.

1 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers open the series as +945 underdogs.Some books even pushed it to +1000.

The Thunder are -1700 favorites.That means you’d have to lay $1,700 on OKC to win the series just to win $100.Those opening lines are unprecedented for the Lakers’ franchise.

According to Sports Odds History, the Lakers have never been this big of an underdog in a conference semifinal in the NBA’s modern era.And maybe not in any era!Game 1 — scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday — has the host Thunder favored by 16 points.That’s more than just a spread, it’s an indictment.For context, the last time LeBron J...