LeBron James spoke during the All-Star break of the Los Angeles Lakers' ability to "compete versus anyone in the Western Conference", buoyed by their prior results.
The Lakers won two of their final three games before the break, including a victory on the road against defending champions the Golden State Warriors.
Now, as the season resumes, the two teams meet again in LA, each needing a win.
Even with that minor upturn in form, the Lakers were left 2.5 games outside the play-in places. The Warriors, the ninth seeds, are little better off.
Missing out on the playoffs again is "just not part of my DNA", James added, meaning progress must now be swift.
The Lakers will hope then the "precautionary" decision to remove James from the All-Star Game due to injury is just that.
Although their previous win against the Warriors came without the all-time NBA scoring leader, it was on his return against the New Orleans Pelicans that the Lakers really impressed.
James appeared for the first time alongside new recruit D'Angelo Russell, while Anthony Davis joined the four-time Finals MVP in the starting lineup for only the 24th time this season.
Getting all three men on the floor together consistently will be key to any unlikely success story.
Against a Warriors team still missing Stephen Curry, a show of strength could set up a big second half to the season.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Los Angeles Lakers – D'Angelo Russell
Whether Russell can make the difference for the Lakers is another matter. But the team need that to be the case. His arrival, with Russell Westbrook departing, is the big change most likely to alter the course of the season.
The early signs are at least promising – he has averaged 17.3 points but only 1.7 turnovers through his first three games.
That is a level of efficiency not seen before in Russell's career – including in the half-season he spent with the Warriors – but should be enough to keep James happy, which is more than can be said for Westbrook, whose 3.5 turnovers per game were actually down on his career average.
Golden State Warriors – Jordan Poole
While Curry remains out, the Warriors will have to rely on Poole to provide their scoring threat.
More than half of his 35 starts this year (20) have come when Curry has been out of the lineup, in which games Poole has averaged 27.6 points per game.
It figures that Poole should be more influential when team-mates do not have Curry to instead look to, with the 23-year-old attempting 10.1 threes per game without the superstar alongside him.
Taking the ball and the shots counts for little, however, if Poole cannot get the Warriors enough wins to stay competitive. They are 9-11 this year when Poole starts but Curry does not.
KEY BATTLE – Lakers at the crunch?
Not helped by having a key man missing, the Warriors have repeatedly been frustrated by the way they have ended games of late.
The previous Lakers game was the source of some frustration as Golden State appeared set to recover from a tough third quarter before another wobble in the fourth.
In fact, across their past eight games that have been late and close – within four points in the last two minutes of the final quarter – the Warriors have been outscored in those scenarios in six.
If the Lakers can stick with the Warriors, they look the better bet to come through late on.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split the series so far this year, with the Warriors' win on opening night followed by that home defeat. All time, the Lakers have a 259-173 lead over the Warriors in the regular season.
Doncic salutes 'unbelievable' Gilgeous-Alexander after Thunder tie series
Luka Doncic paid tribute to "unbelievable" Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, conceding the Oklahoma City Thunder guard was "just too good" in their 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Gilgeous-Alexander inspired the Thunder to a second-half fightback in Game 4 as they overturned a 14-point deficit to level their Western Conference semi-final series at 2-2.
The 25-year-old, who described it as "probably the most meaningful game I've played in my career", top-scored for his side for the eighth successive match in this postseason with 34, while he finished with eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.
And Doncic, who registered a triple-double for Dallas with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, could only watch and admire.
"He was unbelievable," the five-time NBA All-Star said. "He kept making shots and maybe at some point, we've got to send double teams. He's just too good."
Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-of-16 on mid-range shots - the most by any player in a single game over the past two seasons - while matching LaMarcus Aldridge for the most buckets made from that distance in a playoff game in the last decade.
Teammate Chet Holmgren added: "There are some points in the game I'm doing the same thing you guys are doing - just kind of being a fan of what he's doing and when some of those shots go in, just kind of making a face like, 'That's crazy.'
"But he's been doing it all year. I've seen him do it since I got here, that's just who he is."
Tatum credits short-handed Cavs as Celtics close in on conference finals
Jayson Tatum credited the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fight they showed in Donovan Mitchell's absence after helping the Boston Celtics take a 3-1 lead in the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Tatum had 33 points and 11 rebounds as the Celtics moved within a game of reaching the conference finals for a third straight year with Monday's 109-102 road win.
Cleveland, who were already without starting center Jarrett Allen due to a rib contusion, were also deprived of their leading scorer after Mitchell suffered a calf strain in Game 3.
However, the Cavs stayed in the game until Jaylen Brown sank a clutch 3-pointer with 69 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, with Derrick White and Tatum then making a couple of free throws each to add some gloss to the scoreline.
Darius Garland had 30 points and seven assists for the Cavs while Caris LeVert had 19 points, leaving Tatum impressed.
"It's to be expected, right? When the best player goes out, everybody has more freedom, more opportunity," Tatum said of Boston's opponents.
"Obviously, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. It's the playoffs, they don't want to go home.
"Give them credit, they played hard from beginning to end and made big plays on both ends. They hit big shots, so it was a battle, and it was fun out there."
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff also heaped praise on his players, saying: "I mean, they laid it all out there. They gave us everything that they had.
"They competed at a high level. They played the game properly. I'm proud of the guys, the way they went out and scrapped and competed and gave ourselves a chance."
Boston now have a chance to wrap up the series in Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday, an opportunity Brown is keen to ensure they take.
"There's nothing better than winning a playoff game on the road," Brown said. "It's like everybody's against you guys. It's a tough environment, the crowd was great, but as a competitor, it's really fun to be in an environment like that, to win on the road.
"Now it's time to go back and play well in front of our fans and give them something to cheer for and try to get a win."
NBA: Thunder get even with Mavs, Celtics go up 3-1
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half to rally the Oklahoma City Thunder from a 14-point deficit and earn a crucial 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Monday's Game 4 of a Western Conference semifinal series.
Chet Holmgren had 11 of his 18 points after halftime and added nine rebounds to help the top-seeded Thunder even the best-of-seven series at 2-2 as they head back to Oklahoma City for Wednesday's all-important Game 5.
The fifth-seeded Mavericks squandered an opportunity to put the Thunder on the brink of elimination despite setting a franchise playoff record with 13 blocks, including four each from Derrick Jones Jr. and rookie Dereck Lively II.
Jones finished with 17 points in the loss, while Luka Doncic registered a triple-double for Dallas with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Mavericks led the majority of the game and owned an 86-80 advantage just past the midway point of the fourth quarter before Oklahoma City began their late surge. The Thunder seized momentum with a 12-2 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Holmgren and Luguentz Dort, to go up 92-88 with 2:14 remaining.
Dallas answered on Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but back-to-back baskets by the Thunder's Jalen Williams gave Oklahoma City a 96-91 lead entering the final minute.
The Mavericks again responded and had a chance to tie it when Doncic was fouled with 10.1 seconds left with Dallas trailing 96-94. The MVP finalist made just one of his two shots, however, and the Thunder sealed the outcome by going 4 for 4 from the foul line in the waning moments.
Free-throw shooting played a part in the result, as Oklahoma City finished 23 of 24 from the line compared to 12 of 23 for Dallas.
The Mavericks held a 54-43 lead at half-time after limiting the Thunder to under 35 per cent shooting for the first two quarters, and they stretched the margin to 14 when P.J. Washington hit a 3-pointer to begin the third.
Oklahoma City closed the gap before the end of the period, though, as they ended the third quarter on a 9-2 run to pull within 69-65 entering the fourth.
Celtics handle injury-plagued Cavaliers to take 3-1 lead
In the East, the top-seeded Boston Celtics moved within a game of reaching the conference finals for a third straight year after posting a 109-102 Game 4 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers behind Jayson Tatum's 33 points and 11 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points to help Boston take a 3-1 series lead over a fourth-seeded Cavaliers team playing without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell. The All-Star guard was unavailable due to a strained left calf he sustained in Cleveland's 106-93 loss in Saturday's Game 3.
The Cavaliers also remained without starting center Jarrett Allen, who hasn't played since Game 4 of their opening-round series against Orlando due to a rib contusion.
Darius Garland kept Cleveland competitive by producing 30 points and seven assists, while Caris LeVert had 19 points starting in place of Mitchell.
Boston can close out the series at home in Wednesday's Game 5.
Tatum set the tone right from the outset, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first quarter to stake the Celtics to a 37-30 lead after one period.
The All-Star forward closed out the first half with a 3-pointer that sent Boston into the break with a 62-57 advantage, though Cleveland opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run to move ahead by a 65–64 score three minutes into the second half.
Boston reasserted control from there, however, as they outscored the Cavs by a 14-4 margin over the next four and a half minutes. Brown had seven points during the spurt, which Derrick White capped with a 3-pointer for a 78-69 Celtics' lead with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
The Celtics stretched the lead to 98-83 with under eight minutes left, though Cleveland kept battling and put together a 12-2 run to close the gap to 100-95 with three minutes left to play.
Brown hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:09 to go, however, to put Boston up 105-97, and the Celtics kept Cleveland at bay the rest of the way as White and Tatum each made two free throws in the closing stages.
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