Lakers, with No. 3 seed clinched, confident vying for NBA title

LOS ANGELES — Moments after the Lakers’ home win over the Houston Rockets on Friday, which secured the Lakers the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference’s side of the playoffs bracket, Austin Reaves was told a piece of trivia he wasn’t aware of.
Out of the 78 NBA champions entering the 2025-25 season, 76 have been a top-three seed in their respective conference.
It’s been exactly 30 years since the last time a non-top-three seed won the NBA title – last done by