Things are starting to look grim for the Los Angeles Lakers. They were heavy favorites heading into their Round 1 series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but now find themselves in a 3-1 hole that teams rarely climb out of.
It seemed like head coach JJ Redick emptied the chamber to try and win Game 4, and that may come back to haunt the Lakers. For the first time in NBA playoffs history, Redick played the same five-man lineup for the entirety of the second half.
The lineup featured LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith. While this lineup was able to hold off the Timberwolves for most of the second half, the Lakers unraveled late in the fourth quarter and eventually lost.
That wouldn’t be a problem for a lot of teams, but James is 40 and disappeared late in the fourth quarter after playing very well early on. Doncic is young and can play a lot of minutes, but he’s also coming off a stomach bug that hampered him just a couple of days prior.
Los Angeles does have two days of rest before Game 5 in Los Angeles, but there are those who aren’t pleased with Redick’s decision to play the same lineup in Game 4.
Redick Facing Backlash
Redick is in his first year coach, so there are bound to be growing pains, especially in the playoffs. In hindsight, he may at least give James some more minutes off to keep him fresher for late in the game.
One person who questioned the move was Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
“I dont know if it smart to play LeBron and Luka the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4,” Johnson wrote on X. “When we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn’t – he scored 0 points in the fourth.”
“It’s not 2K. You cannot play 5 [players] for 24 minutes straight!” Legend of Winning said in a livestream.
“I’ve got to blame this loss on JJ Redick. He’s got to take accountability,” Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN’s “First Take.”
This is a high-pressure situation for Redick to be in, but he’s got to learn quickly if he wants to avoid an early playoff exit.
Lakers Aren’t Giving Up
It’s very difficult for a team to climb out of a 3-1 hole in the NBA playoffs, but it’s not impossible. While things are looking grim, the Lakers players aren’t ready to stop fighting.
“It’s a fun challenge,” Doncic told reporters after the game. “We should have extra motivation to win these next three games. It’s gonna be very hard. Every possession’s gonna matter. And we gotta go 100 percent no matter what.”
James has been part of one of the 14 teams in NBA history to make a 3-1 comeback. He explained his mindset heading into Game 5.
“You don’t think about winning three (games),” James said. “You think about just getting the next one. That’s the only thing that matters because if not, obviously, the offseason begins. So it’s all about Wednesday. That’s what’s important.”
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