And they'll probably be right back there next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.
Last week, the Lakers made a big step toward solidifying the future of their franchise by signing Kobe Bryant, now 31, to a three-year extension worth close to $90 million. The centerpiece of the Lakers and the reigning finals MVP will be a Laker through 2014.
The Lakers are now set up for a dynastic presence in the Western Conference. Pau Gasol is also re-upped through 2014; the Lakers hammered out an extension for their All-Star big man earlier this season. Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest will all be Lakers for a long time as well. You can't ask for a stronger, more stable nucleus than that.
What this means is that Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson have some margin for error. Unlike the Cavaliers, Spurs and Celtics — teams with rapidly closing windows to win a championship — the Lakers don't have that same pressure. They know that if they don't get it done this spring, there's always next year.
That's not to say they won't pour their hearts and souls into this postseason. Kobe is Kobe — he's always going to compete. But if he doesn't take home championship ring No. 5 this June, he'll inevitably get another chance.
The Western Conference is as competitive and as muddled as ever before. The Lakers are one of eight teams this season with somewhere between 49 and 56 wins. There's hardly any difference, it seems, between a one-versus-eight series and a four-versus-five. They're practically coin flips.
Coming out of that conference and reaching the finals again is going to be a Herculean task. But if Kobe and the Lakers can't get it done now, they'll have another opportunity.
Remember, Kobe is 31. He's got four rings. When Michael Jordan was 31, he only had three, and he was too busy striking out and dropping fly balls to worry about a fourth.
Kobe still has plenty of time to focus on his legacy, to pad his resume as one of the greatest ever to play the game.
Now that he's got job security as a Laker, he can focus on rings, on accolades, on numbers. He's got now three extra years to pile them up.
It was just three years ago that Kobe wanted out of Los Angeles — he had become fed up with his teammates, his organization and his fans, and he was ready to go.
Now he's ready to stay, and he's ready to add to his already dazzling resume.
Who needs a fadeaway jumper when you can make a turnaround like that?
