The Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday has the Lakers backed against a wall.
"Maybe it puts us in a position that we need to be in where we have to [win]," said Lamar Odom. "We haven't been in one of those in a long time."
The Thunder put the Lakers in a similar position in the first round of the playoffs last April after Oklahoma City's 21-point win in Game 4 tied the series 2-2.
Feeling the pressure of ending their season as losers, the Lakers went on to win eight straight games in the playoffs, eventually beating the Celtics in the Finals.
"It raised our level to play them," Kobe Bryant admitted earlier this season.