EL SEGUNDO — The rhythms and flows of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in which they’re trailing 0-1, allowed for more reflecting time than teams usually get during the regular season – and most other playoff rounds – after Saturday night’s lopsided Game 1 loss at Crypto.com Arena.
With two days off between the series opener and Tuesday night’s Game 2, the Lakers had plenty of time to not only look at what went wrong, but also what they could do better to give themselves the best chance of pulling even in the best-of-seven series before Games 3 and 4 in Minneapolis.
“We just have to do a lot of things better,” Coach JJ Redick said after Tuesday’s practice. “And it starts with playing harder and being organized.”
The “playing harder” feedback was a talking point repeated by several Lakers, with the team having “our best practice … in months” on Tuesday, according to Redick, with the session featuring live play “for a very extended period.”
The effects of the practice were evident, with Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith both covered in sweat as they walked up to the microphone stand for their post-practice availabilities.
“Got a good lather,” Redick said.
But for the Lakers, “playing harder” isn’t just about how much a player sweats, how many miles they run or how quickly they move on the court.
“It’s how connected we are when everybody’s giving it everything they have on every possession,” Reaves said. “You’re more locked into every detail on both ends of the floor. And that’s what the playoffs are about – winning on small details. Unfortunately, we didn’t do it in the first game. But it’s first to win four games.”
And the Lakers didn’t succeed with those small details.
Whether it was boxing out to prevent the Timberwolves from grabbing offensive rebounds – they had 11, leading to 23 second-chance points.
Or getting back in transition, leading to Minnesota scoring 25 fast-break points – a figure that undersells how effective the Timberwolves were in the open court.
“We’re communicating, giving second and third efforts,” Finney-Smith responded when asked what it looks like when they’re playing hard. “Teams [are] getting one shot at the rim, not two.
“I wouldn’t say we [weren’t] playing hard because our first shot defense was good. We just [weren’t] getting those loose balls. They [were] first to the ball. They [were] just a little bit more into it. And we got to do the same.”
As for being more organized, Redick sees it as less of a play-calling issue but more of the team being more consistent with its on-court principles.
“It’s just all of the normal stuff that we try to do and when we do it, we’re really good,” he said. “Being organized is screening. Being organized is getting to the proper spacing. Being organized is getting the corners filled after makes and misses. That’s being organized.
“Our early offense stuff is like any team. It’s the same [expletive]. It’s remarkable how many possessions we had three to four guys at halfcourt with 15 [seconds] on the [shot] clock. Literally bunched up together at halfcourt.”
TIMBERWOLVES AT LAKERS
What: Western Conference playoffs, first round, Game 2
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/radio: TNT, Spectrum SportsNet/710 AM