As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, the odds are stacked against them. The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions, boasting MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and swept the Lakers 4-0 in the regular season. To make matters tougher, the Lakers are without superstar Luka Doncic and nearly blew a 3-0 series lead against the Houston Rockets in the first round.

But Lakers legend Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, has a game plan for the upset. In a recent post, Johnson emphasized two critical areas: protecting the ball and playing elite two-way basketball. "To beat OKC, we have to find a way to not turn the ball over as much as we did against the Rockets and play great on both ends of the floor," he wrote. "Who’s going to step up and provide scoring to help LeBron and Austin? One thing we all know is OKC can score, so the Lakers are going to have to play some of their best basketball."

Turnovers have been a recurring issue for the Lakers. In the first round against the Rockets, they averaged 17.7 turnovers per game. That trend carried over from the regular season, where they averaged 17.5 turnovers in four matchups with the Thunder. Lakers coach JJ Redick noted the Thunder's ability to capitalize on mistakes: "Their ability to create turnovers, their live-ball turnovers, really kill you. When they get out in transition, they're the best in the NBA."

The series tips off Tuesday, and for the Lakers to have a fighting chance, they'll need to tighten up their ball security, lock in defensively, and find secondary scoring behind LeBron James and Austin Reaves. As Johnson put it, this is an "uphill battle," but with the right adjustments, an upset is within reach.