OAKLAND - Winning the Western Conference regular-season championship means securing homecourt advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs. But there’s no guarantee that the team that finishes first will last three rounds.

Or even one.

“There’s a great amount of prestige in finishing in first place after 82games,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Monday night. “It’s as simple as that. It does not win you anything in the playoffs. It wins you the seeding, but as we know in the West it can be a recipe for an upset.

This year, there’s a lot of chance for anyone being upset.”

The Lakers went into Monday’s game against Golden State tied with the NewOrleans Hornets for first place in the conference standings. The Warriors were eighth. With 11 games remaining, Jackson said he’s not concerned about potential matchups. - LA Daily News

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