In the aftermath of an embarrassing playoff defeat, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to make some major adjustments. During the post-game chat with the media, head coach JJ Redick did his best to address the concerns and explain what went wrong for his club in the blowout loss.
“They’re a great opponent, one of the best teams in basketball. That’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to withstand a playoff-level basketball game. We were mentally ready, and our spirit was right,” said Redick. “I thought even when they made runs, our huddles were great, our communication was great. I’m not sure physically we were ready if that makes sense. When they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we didn’t respond immediately to that.”
The Timberwolves may be the 6th seed, but they still won 48 games, and they have enough talent to challenge any team in the West. Since the arrival of Redick last summer, the Lakers have been much improved in virtually all aspects of the game, but their flaws showed tonight, especially when it comes to size and physicality in the frontcourt.
The Lakers are still fresh off the Anthony Davis trade, and the best they could do for a replacement is veteran backup Jaxson Hayes. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Hayes wasn’t enough to hold it down in the frontcourt, and the Timberwolves used their strength and size advantage to bully their way to victory.
In his post-game media chat, LeBron James was looking for any reason to stay optimistic after the loss. He admitted that the Lakers lost control after the first quarter but that he’ll have his team prepared for the rematch next week.
“You know, when you’re playing a Minnesota team, they’re gotta be physical. That’s what they bring to the table,” said James. “Maybe it took us one playoff game to now get a feel for it and know the type of intensity and the type of physicality that’s gonna be brought to the game. We should be more than prepared for that on Tuesday night.”
There’s no doubt it was a crushing loss for the Purple and Gold, but James knows better than to let his emotions run too high. With plenty of games left to play, the Lakers must maintain their composure and respond in a way that will swing the series momentum back in their favor.
If physicality is the key, the Lakers must be ready for more tough battles ahead. After making a run to the West Finals last year, the Timberwolves are eager to build on their success, and a series win against the Lakers will send a powerful message to the rest of the Conference.
Now that he knows what to expect, LeBron can make the proper adjustments for Game 2, and it could be enough to change the entire trajectory of the series. At the very least, LeBron James and Austin Reaves will do better than they did tonight, and the Lakers will need everything they can get to advance in this series.
Only time will tell how it plays out, but as a 4x champion and future Hall of Famer, LeBron James knows more than most about what it takes to succeed in the postseason, and it seems like he’s still confident about the Lakers’ chances to win.
