The Los Angeles Lakers are on to the second round of the NBA Playoffs after defeating the Houston Rockets in six games. Game 6 came with the Lakers’ best defensive effort of the series, led by Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. Smart had two steals and two blocks in the win, while Ayton had one block but cleaned up with 16 rebounds.
Smart has been everything the Lakers needed and more this season as both an on-court defensive leader and an off-court culture changer. Part of that has been his ability to pick up his teammates and keep them motivated. He did so with Ayton after his performance in the first round, saying that the starting center deserves the credit for L.A.’s defensive effort.
“For me, it’s DA,” Smart said about the difference in the series. “He played his ass off tonight, excuse my language. But he was locked in from the start to the finish. He kept his composure and he really set the tone for us on the defense end and it allowed me to do what I do and everybody else to kind of galvanize and come together and do our thing.”
He continued his praise of Ayton by saying that the big man backed up talk that he would ramp up his game in the postseason.
“He’s been saying it all year, just wait until I get to the playoffs,” Smart said. “It’s a different side of him that fans haven’t seen that we expect, that we know he can give and he knows it. He’s ready. He’s been locked in from the start and that’s what we’ve asked from everybody.
“But to have him being able to step up one-on-one, it allows us to fan out to their shooters. He’s huge. I have nothing more to say. I could sit here all day and talk about DA. I love him, I’m proud of him and I’m proud to see that he’s finally getting that confidence that he’s been looking for and playing very well for us.”
The Lakers signed Ayton in the hopes that he might be a long-term solution at center. The jury is still out on whether that’s the case, but the team was undeniably better when he was playing at his best. That was once again true in the playoffs.
JJ Redick praises Lakers for collective effort
Lakers head coach JJ Redick focused on the collective rather than an individual performance when praising his team for their series win.
“I would start with the collective,” head coach JJ Redick said of the Lakers’ effort after the 98-78 win. “I remember there was a press conference that we did after one of our games during the 16-2 stretch and you guys were really hammering home a point about a specific player. I honestly can’t remember who the player was.
“And I made the comment, I said the reason our team is winning is because of our team. Because each guy is starring in his role and contributing to winning. And that’s the story of this playoff series for us. Where each guy had moments that helped us win the game. I thought the collective tonight was awesome, especially defensively.”
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