The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the course of the last month, but Rui Hachimura knows the real test is coming.

After Tuesday night's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hachimura was candid about what the next stretch of the schedule means for this team. The Lakers face the Oklahoma City Thunder twice in their next three games, once in OKC and once at home, and Hachimura isn't shying away from what those games represent. 

"You know, championship team, defense, championship team," Hachimura said. "This can be a good test for us, especially last time we played them, we lost."

The Thunder are the defending champions and one of the league's premier defensive units. For Los Angeles to prove their recent form is real and not a product of soft scheduling, they'll need to find answers against OKC that they haven't had before.

What makes the upcoming matchups feel significant is the context surrounding them. The Lakers have gone on a tear throughout March, winning 10 straight at home and stringing together wins against genuine competition. 

Hachimura credited the team's defensive identity as the engine behind the run. The Lakers haven't just been winning, they've been winning the right way, with connected team defense. 

"When those guys have the ball, you see three, four bodies literally form up," he said. "That's team defense. That's what we need to do, and we've been doing a good job of that."

This kind of buy-in across a roster is hard to manufacture. The fact that it's showing up consistently, and not just in isolated moments, is an encouraging sign for what this team could become in the postseason.

Back-to-back matchups against the same opponent in a short window is about as close to a playoff series simulation as the regular season offers. You get film on each other and adjustments get made. The team that solves the other one first usually wins, and that dynamic alone makes these games worth watching closely.

The Lakers lost to OKC earlier this season, and that result has clearly stayed with this group. There's unfinished business there, and the timing of these two games gives them a chance to settle it before it actually matters.

Hachimura's tone made clear the group is treating it exactly that way. "We've been great this past month, especially in March," he said. "So we're gonna see."

If the Lakers can split or sweep those two games, they'll head into the postseason with real confidence that their recent form isn't a mirage. If they struggle, it'll raise legitimate questions about whether this group is ready for the grind that playoff basketball actually demands. Either way, the answers are coming soon.