Statements were made around the NBA in the first game of the playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies by a hundred, which is somehow only a slight exaggeration. The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets pulled off impressive comebacks to hold serve at home, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors were the only teams to go into enemy territory and come away victorious.
Despite being the No. 7 seed, the Warriors were actually favorites in their series with the Houston Rockets, so Sunday night's result wasn't entirely surprising. The Wolves' win over the Los Angeles Lakers was, maybe not so much for the fact that they won, but in how they did it. The Lakers led by seven after the first quarter, but after that they were outscored by 29 and outplayed in every conceivable way.
Lakers fans have been riding one of the all-time roller coasters this season, so one bump in the road isn't going to be enough to force them to hit the panic button. Another loss in Game 2 would be, though, as they'd be going to Minnesota for Game 3 with the knowledge that they'd need to win four of the next five to win the series.
There were reasons for the Lakers to worry coming into this series. The Wolves reached the Western Conference Finals last year, and they had a better net rating than the Lakers this season, even after Rob Pelinka stole Luka Dončić at the trade deadline. They're a better rebounding team and better defensively, though there were also things the Lakers could hang their hat on, not the least of which is their Big 3 of Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
JJ Redick was snubbed out of being a Coach of the Year finalist yesterday, but that should do nothing to take away from the outstanding job he's done in his rookie season on the bench. Still, he's at an experience disadvantage against Minnesota's Chris Finch, one which he'll need to overcome if the Lakers are going to have a chance.
Redick has his work cut out for him after the Lakers suffered their fifth-worst home loss of the year in what, to this point, has been their most important game. Here are three things he needs to fix before Game 2.
1. Match the Wolves' energy and physicality
It has to be alarming to Lakers fans that the entire team, Redick included, seemed to admit after Game 1 that they weren't prepared physically for the Wolves. Redick said, "I'm not sure physically we were ready." Austin Reaves said Minnesota, "physically beat us from the get-go."
The NBA season is long, 82 games long, to be precise. It should have been no secret who the Wolves are by this point, especially since the Lakers have played them four times. Julius Randle loves to bully smaller defenders. Anthony Edwards is constantly looking to put someone on a poster. Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid are physically imposing rim protectors.
Despite this knowledge, the Lakers allowed themselves to get beaten up, but it wasn't just a matter of being out-strengthed. Sure, the Wolves won the rebounding battle, but they also dominated L.A. in fast break points by a 25-to-6 margin. If the other team is stronger and faster, what are you supposed to do?
The Lakers may no longer have Anthony Davis patrolling the paint on defense, but they shouldn't be pushovers. LeBron can get to the basket whenever he wants. Dončić can wear his defenders down with his strength. Both of those guys are excellent rebounders, and there's no reason that Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith can't help in that department, too.
The Lakers need to set the tone early that they're not about to be pushed around again. Maybe that means committing some hard fouls, maybe it means having a concerted team-wide effort to get back on defense and turn this into a half-court game. Redick shouldn't need to preach the importance of every playoff game to such a veteran team, but if he has to, so be it. The Lakers can't afford a repeat of Game 1.
2. Get a handle on Minnesota's 3-point shooting
Redick understands that the NBA is a 3-point shooting league, which is why he's been preaching all year that the Lakers need to shoot more from beyond the arc. That plan has taken shape since Dončić has arrived, but although the Lakers got up just one less 3 than the Wolves in Game 1, Minnesota was far more efficient as they made a franchise playoff record 21 triples to just 15 from the Lakers.
Edwards led the league in 3-point makes this year with a whopping 320, making it just the second time in five years that someone other than Steph Curry held that title. Edwards made four of his nine attempts in Game 1, but he was an inefficient 4-13 otherwise. Like The Beatles, though, he got by with a little help from his friends, as six other Wolves made at least one 3, while Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Randle combined to make 13 of 18.
The Lakers switched everything on defense, a strategy that can lead to one-on-one mismatches but is usually a good way to limit open looks from the perimeter. That wasn't the case though, as the Wolves were able to move the ball and find good shots from outside from the second quarter onward. They were certainly more committed to sharing the ball than the Lakers were, which is why they finished with 29 assists compared to the Lakers' 15.
Switching everything is still a good strategy, even if it will sometimes give the Wolves what they want, such as Reaves being matched up on Randle. When that happens, the Lakers can't panic and send help, which is something they did too often in Game 1. A double-team on Randle means that a shooter is wide open, and even if they miss, more 3 attempts means more long offensive rebound opportunities.
The Wolves have some inherent advantages that the Lakers can't hope to neutralize, but if they shoot 50 percent from outside, this series is going to be a wrap. Redick needs to get his team disciplined defensively so that the Wolves can't bomb them into an 0-2 hole.
3. Run some offense from the inside out
As we've outlined already, the Lakers have work to do on defense, but offensively, they might be in an even worse position. The Athletic's Jovan Buha pointed out ($) that the Lakers have scored under 100 points nine times this season. Three of those underwhelming offensive displays came against the Wolves.
Dončić got his points in Game 1, but Minnesota seemed OK with that as long as he couldn't make his teammates better. His one assist was his fewest in any game this season, and the first time since March 13 that he's had less than five. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the team struggled mightily on offense, as nobody else even shot 50 percent from the floor. LeBron had only 19 points, while Austin Reaves' first half was probably his worst of the season.
The Wolves are daring Dončić to beat them by himself. Maybe he's up to the task of scoring 40 or 50 every game, but that's a tall order for anyone. How, then, can the Lakers get things going offensively?
One idea is to work more out of the paint. Dončić and James are excellent post-up players, but more importantly, playing with their back to the basket gives them a new angle to see the floor. If the Wolves help, they can find a cutter or an open shooter. If they don't, there could be a lot of easy baskets at the rim. These are the two guys with arguably the best court vision in the game, so it would be a disservice to their abilities to force them to only operate on the perimeter.
The Lakers are third in the league in free throw attempts and first in makes. Getting to the line is their love language. Against a more athletic, more aggressive defensive team like the Wolves, they can use that to their advantage by creating contact and getting easy points.
Racking up fouls will have several benefits. It will slow Minnesota's transition game, for one, allowing LeBron and Dončić to play at the pace they prefer. It could also allow them to get the Wolves in foul trouble, which, depending on the guy, could pay off.
The main idea here is that the Lakers can't just have one plan and stick to it. In the first quarter of Game 1, Dončić tortured the Wolves out of the pick-and-roll, but Finch adjusted his approach and held the Lakers to just 67 points the rest of the way.
Redick needs to make in-game adjustments to respond to what the Wolves are doing, otherwise Minnesota's athleticism is going to prove too difficult to overcome.