While the Lakers were hoping for a quick and easy victory against the Houston Rockets, head coach JJ Redick says nobody was expecting it.
In fact, during a chat with the media ahead of Game 6, Redick considers the Lakers to be in a good position. Against a stacked Rockets team, while down two of the team’s top scorers, Redick isn’t surprised by their sudden turnaround, and he always knew they would put up a fight.
“[Marcus] Smart, after the last game of the regular season, said, ‘we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.’ You certainly don’t wanna drop two games in a row,” said Redick, via Spectrum. “You certainly don’t wanna feel like you’ve given the other team confidence and momentum. But prior to the series, if you said we were up 3-2 coming here for a closeout game and AR would be back, we’d be ecstatic. So I said this after Game 2, that this thing was just getting started. I don’t think any of us expected a sweep. They’re a great basketball team, and they’re gonna continue to play and continue to fight. We’ve gotta match that tonight.”
While Redick made it clear that the Lakers would have preferred to close out this series in Games 4 or 5, they can’t complain about being up 3-2. So far, they’ve only had Austin Reaves for one game in the series, and tonight will be just his second night back after a rusty playoff debut (22 points, four rebounds, and six assists on just 4-16 shooting). That’s on top of Luka Doncic’s injury, which will keep him out until the second round, at least. In their absence, 41-year-old LeBron James was forced to take control, and it could jeopardize his durability for the rest of the playoffs.
With so many challenges and setbacks, the road has certainly not been easy for the Lake Show, and a loss tonight would spell disaster. Still, nobody is in panic mode, and least of all JJ Redick. He knows the talent on the other side and firmly believes that the key to closing them out rests in matching their intensity and desperation on the floor. The Lakers have to match that energy if they want to maximize their chances.
Practically, coach Ime Udoka has been pushing the Rockets to switch more on screens, which has disrupted the Lakers’ offensive chemistry and rhythm they had at the start of the series. Among other things, Redick needs to respond to this tactic in a way that maintains the team’s normal routine. Individually, LeBron James will have to rise to the occasion. He was a hero in Game 5, with a team-high 25 points, three rebounds, and seven assists on 45.0% shooting, but he may need to do even more to carry his team over the edge tonight.
Ultimately, regardless of Redick’s pre-game message, the Lakers are under massive pressure to win this game. Seeing this series slip away after going up 3-0 would put them on the wrong side of history, and they’re only two losses away from it becoming reality. That’s why we can expect a fully focused Lakers group tonight that’s not only committed to the game plan but also plays with purpose and passion on every possession.
