Is playoff speculation the Lakers’ latest distraction?

It might be the nature of losing. It might be the nature of LeBron James. But after every recent Lakers loss, his words ring the loudest.
On Monday night as he tried to make sense of a 110-105 defeat in Memphis, James was asked if the noise around the team’s push for a playoff berth has become a distraction. His soundbite carried.
“At this point, if you are still allowing distractions to affect how the way you play then this is the wrong franchise to be a part of,” he said. &ld