Lakers' path to a title is clear, but first-round opponent? Not so much.

LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers' path to a championship is clear, but their first-round opponent is not so clear. If you had asked me before the NBA season to bet my last dollar on the Lakers earning a top-three seed in the Western Conference and winning 50+ games—or on a gaggle of magic beans—I might’ve hesitated longer than I’d care to admit.

Yes, I’m usually he of little faith. But as we all know, the Lakers found their spark — or rather, “Luka Magic,” to be exact. 

Now, heading into Game 82, they’ve clinched the No. 3 seed and hit the 50-win mark after a 140–109 rout of the Houston Rockets on Friday. So in a sense, either choice would’ve been magical.

The team — and the mastermind behind the magic, first-year head coach JJ Redick — celebrated accordingly. Redick, wearing a fresh change of clothes, was visibly the victim of an ice bath. Eight, to be exact. An absurd amount of water soaked the locker room carpet, reportedly causing thousands of dollars in damage. And rightfully so.

“For our group, different versions of this team, for the guys that have been here all along, they went through every single peak and valley,” Redick said. “Even this third iteration of this team has gone through a bunch of peaks and valleys. Just incredibly proud of our team… It's a credit to our players.”

The Lakers’ positioning — and their path to a championship — is clear. But who they'll face to begin that journey? That’s still murky. What we do know is that three teams are in the mix to face the home-court Lakers in the first round: the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

All three present a legitimate threat. The question isn’t if the Lakers will be tested early—it’s which opponent is the lesser of three evils.

The likeliest? Golden State.

I’ve already written that a Lakers-Warriors matchup would be a dream pairing if God wanted us to have nice things. But if we’re being honest, it’s probably not what most Lakers fans, as prideful as they can be, want. The last time the two teams squared off at Crypto.com Arena, it was another primetime viewing, filled with all the fanfare a LeBron James vs. Steph Curry showdown tends to deliver.

But the Lakers fell in that game, 123–116, thanks to yet another signature performance from Steph Curry. Since their own high-profile trade for Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have been surging, winning 23 of their last 29 games.

Then there’s Denver. 

The Nuggets might be the most appealing matchup, mainly because they’re a team in disarray following the unexpected firing of head coach Michael Malone. Dismissing your longtime, championship-winning coach right before the playoffs doesn’t exactly scream confidence in a deep title run.

Injuries haven’t helped either. Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and others have spent a good chunk of the stretch run battling injuries or sitting out entirely. Still, as we saw the last time the Lakers met them, it would help if both were healthy and ready to go — if only to get the playoff intensity started early.

Now, both stars have returned. Jokić came back looking as dominant as ever, finishing the season averaging a triple-double, becoming just the third player in NBA history to do so. Murray, after missing six games with a hamstring injury, returned Friday, looking fully healed and back in form.

Like the looks of people you once knew in high school, what was once attractive may no longer be.

Lastly, there’s the Timberwolves — a team the Lakers split the season series with, both with and without Doncic. They present a tough challenge where the Lakers are most vulnerable: down low.

With a mix of big bodies like Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Julius Randle in the post, Minnesota poses a matchup problem — even when someone like Jaxson Hayes is playing his best basketball.

And that’s not even mentioning the obvious: the rise of Anthony Edwards into superstardom. In the mold of the legendary shooting guards before him, the young phenom is flashing all the signs of aligning himself with the greats. An opening-round showdown with the Lakers could offer a shot at redemption after falling short of his first Finals appearance last season.

For now, the Lakers have one final game in Portland against the Trail Blazers — and that’s all that’s on Redick’s mind. “We want to go win one more game, and we'll figure out Sunday who we play in the first round,” he said.

By Sunday’s end, they should know who their opponent is. But for those curious how it all shakes out, the tangled mess of seeding possibilities is laid out below, courtesy of the NBA — if you’re feeling ambitious enough to go full John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind” to sort through it all.

But if you don’t, here’s all you need to know: The Lakers are a 50-win team. They’re entering the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. They’re a championship-caliber squad. And their performance this season deserves recognition

Just know — the road ahead doesn’t get any easier.