Kobe Bryant all but conceded the top two spots in the Western Conference, saying the Lakers have endured too many alterations in the off-season to be atop the West.

"Because of the changes in the players and so forth, you just can't come out of the gates and fight for a 1 seed or a 2 seed," he said. "That's just not realistic, but we want to build and get better and go into the playoffs with momentum."

Bryant hopes the Lakers can snare some momentum over the next couple of months, gradually improving as the regular season winds down.

"If you figure things out going into the postseason and you get a good rhythm, that's what you want, especially in a short season," he said.