The Los Angeles Lakers may have had possibly their biggest win of the entire season on Friday, not just because of the massive 101-73 margin of victory over the Phoenix Suns, but because of what that win means for the Lakers' playoff chances. 

By defeating the Suns on Friday, the Lakers have clinched home court advantage in the playoffs, which is a huge momentum swing for their chances to make a deep run and to do it against the Suns, who have prove to be a pesky rival throughout the season, that makes the victory even sweeter. 

It's been a difficult road to get to this point for the Lakers, especially in the last few weeks. They lost both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves within days of each other to injuries, which would have left the season shaken for most teams, but LeBron James has stepped up to carry the load in a big way and help power the team through.

Even looking back on the season, getting to this point is a feat in and of itself for Los Angeles.

While the Lakers have one of the most formidable big threes in the league in James, Doncic and Reaves, none of those three players have played in at least 65 games this season and often the Lakers have had to do without at least one of them, making their overall success all the more impressive.

With the hurdle of home court advantage out of the way, head coach JJ Redick's focus is turned squarely toward the playoffs and the ultimate goal of a championship, and Redick knows what the weight of that task is considering the legacy of the team that he's now in charge of. 

"Every year I've been in the NBA, you goal is to win a championship... When you represent the Lakers and you play for the Lakers and you coach the Lakers, that's their goal every year," Redick said (via The Sporting Tribune.) "Let's not discredit what this group did for the regular season, regardless of what happens in the playoffs, because to clinch home court advantage... it's a credit to our players. It's a credit to our staff."

Getting to that championship won't be easy. Reaves' and Doncic's statuses are both up in the air when it comes to their playoff availability and there are powerhouses in the Western Conference alone to get through like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The legacies of so many great Lakers teams are staring down on the team of the present, but with all of the adversity they've faced this season, the current Purple and Gold have shown they can be up for the task.