In what appeared to be a very promising first season for JJ Redick as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, they are now fighting for their lives facing a 3-1 series deficit to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
The inability to close out Games 3 and 4 despite leading late on the road has the Lakers in this spot, and now they must win three straight to keep their season alive.
Speaking with the media after practice on Tuesday, Redick discussed the mood of the team. “I would describe us as on edge, as we should be,” he said.
Redick added that his team cannot focus on the past or the future and can only think about winning on Wednesday.
“You have to play with a sense of desperation. You can’t change what’s already happened and you can’t feel sorry for yourself… Our focus is on Game 5. We have to win Game 5. And that’s been conveyed by the coaches, players. Tomorrow is a Game 7 for us,” Redick added.
In order to make that happen though, the Lakers can’t beat themselves, which has been a theme of the series up until this point.
“There’s a lot of stuff that we did defensively that is preventable,” Redick said. “In both games up there, I thought there was a lot of self-inflicted wounds.”
The Lakers have been in a tough spot before after dropping Game 1 at home to start the series. They bounced back and won Game 2, but Redick feels a 3-1 deficit is completely different.
“I think it’s a different situation when you go down 1-0 versus being down 3-1. I think it’s a different situation.”
Teams have come back from down 3-1 before, and although it isn’t easy, the Lakers can give themselves a chance by handling business in Game 5 to send the series back to Minnesota.
JJ Redick: Fatigue wasn’t factor for Lakers’ fourth-quarter struggles
The Lakers had a chance to win both Games 3 and 4 on the road but were unable to close it out down the stretch both times. In Game 4, JJ Redick stuck with the same five players for the entire second half, but he doesn’t think fatigue played a factor in the fourth-quarter struggles.
“No. And you know what, looking back now, what have we scored, 19, 20, 13 in the fourth quarters? It’s a trend, more so than [fatigue]. Our two best players missed layups at the rim. I don’t think they missed layups because they were tired,” Redick said after practice on Tuesday.
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