The trade for Luka Doncic and immediate connection he made with LeBron James has transformed the Lakers into legitimate title contenders.

Fortified by acquisitions of various degrees, the lords of the rings find themselves back in the hunt for title No. 5, leaving us wondering how deep LeBron James and Stephen Curry can pull from their respective reservoirs to make it to June — one more time.

The pieces are in place for this to be a very compelling NBA postseason, with a mix of a new guard as the top seeds in both the East and West while a repeat threat is more than real in Boston and the duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic try to go on a deep run to a title.