LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers isn’t obsessive about the NBA standings as the club tries to move up in the Western Conference playoff standings.

We’re not really focused on seeding at the end of the day,” he stated, as reported by Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. All that’s on our minds is what we can manage. If other teams are still performing too well, we will not be able to manage the seeds. All that is within your power is to go out and play, try to win as many games as you can, and observe your results.” The Lakers’ 101-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday keeps them in ninth place in the Western Conference at 38-32. They would advance from the play-in tournament if they were to finish three games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the sixth seed.

James and his teammates have a valid point of view, and it’s certainly the best one given the current situation. The 20-year All-Star wasn’t suggesting that placing in the top six or making the play-in round doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, nor was he making the implication that it does.

Los Angeles would clearly love to get up to sixth and escape the play-in. A team’s physical condition is further strained by playing an extra game or two, on top of the inherent risk posed by the play-in tournament. There’s just so much the Lakers can accomplish on their own to catch up to their playoff rivals, to James’ point. They must view each of the 12 games they have left as a chance to accomplish precisely that, and they cannot afford to count on a lot of outside assistance.

But the Lakers’ chances of winning the postseason will not really improve by continuously watching the race.