What's the first thing you notice when you see ESPN's Fred Carter on NBA 2Night or SportsCenter? Of course, he points at you. It's his way of saying hello. So we've asked NBA expert Fred to greet us and make some points for ESPN.com each week.

Friday night's matchup against the Kings is huge for the Lakers. While Sacramento sits comfortably as the West's No. 2 team (behind Dallas), the Lakers can't afford another loss.

The Lakers have been playing well. Their second line has stepped up and is playing better. But whether they'll make the playoffs remains to be seen.

Three reasons why the Lakers will make the playoffs

	Kobe Bryant won't let the Lakers go down without a fight.

1. Kobe's determination. Right now the Lakers have a sense of urgency. Kobe Bryant is a man on a mission. Kobe won't let his team lose or fail. He's in the hunt for MVP as well as another NBA title.

2. Shaq is back. Shaquille O'Neal is beginning to get in shape and has been playing better. He appears to be quicker and stronger than he was at the season's start. And he's been scoring and rebounding. It's good to see that Shaq has a body under all of that mess he was carrying around. I like how he's starting to look.

3. Lakers' support group. The Lakers' supporting cast has been picking up the pace and fullfiling their responsibilities. Particularly, Derek Fisher and Rick Fox who are shooting the ball better. Fox becomes the third offensive player -- he'll sometimes catch it in the post, make the three and drive to the basket. I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever recover from the left hook he took on the chin from Doug Christie. But if Fox continues to pick it up offensively, the way he did last year, with 12 to 15 points per game, the Lakers will become unbeatable.

Three reasons why the Lakers won't make the playoffs
1. No fear. There was a time, not so long ago, when teams were afraid of the Lakers. Teams knew that they had to play perfect to beat them. That's no longer the case. Now, teams don't fear the Lakers because they've gone in there and beat them. As a result, the Lakers no longer carry that aura of respect. With intimidation no longer a factor, and teams coming in prepared, the Lakers could very easily wind up in the lottery -- now that's a scary thought.

2. Defensive drop. Last season, the Lakers were No. 1 in defensive field-goal percentage. This season, they're 17th. If the Lakers don't pick up their game defensively -- and they haven't to this point in the season -- they won't get into the playoffs.

3. A hole to big to escape. At the midway point of the season, the Lakers are still under .500. That means that they're going to need help from other teams to get into the playoffs. Fortunately for them, Houston and Phoenix are starting to slide. But if Houston and Phoenix play well, the Lakers won't get in.