Phil Jackson still has faith in the Los Angeles Lakers as the team’s playoff odds diminish.

"I still believe the Lakers can make the playoffs," Jackson said in an email to the Los Angeles Times. "They might have to have a 'come to Jesus' moment to get their defense in order, but they have the talent."

The Lakers, 15-20 on the season, are currently 5 games back of the eighth-place tied Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.

"If we keep the energy and keep the team unity, then yeah, we can do anything we wanted to and we can make the playoffs and climb out of the ditch," Mike D'Antoni said. "But you can't do it sometimes and once a week or one quarter out of three or four. You just can't do that."

If history is any indication, the Lakers must win roughly 70 percent of their games the rest of the way to qualify for the playoffs.

"I think about it every day," Steve Nash said in a quiet moment after the Lakers' latest loss, Wednesday in San Antonio. "We've got to make some serious ground up here quickly. We're in deep, and we've got to find a way to scratch and claw and get to 48 wins."