With the Lakers facing elimination, JJ Redick feels the team has the right attitude heading into Game 5 against the Wolves.
The Lakers need 15 more wins to become NBA champions, but right now the only number that matters is one.
If they lose one more time to the Wolves during this series, their season is over.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was short and sweet in his response after Tuesday’s practice about how the team feels heading into this elimination game.
“I would describe us as on edge, as we should be,” Redick said.
If you feel no edge or urgency at this point in the season, you simply don’t care. The word “edge” is heavy, but it is appropriate given the Lakers’ situation, needing to win Game 5.
With so many games between the Lakers and Wolves coming down to the wire, the Lakers feel they’ve been “right there” in this series despite trailing 3-1.
The Lakers lost Game 4 by just three points, and a scoring drought in Game 3 sealed their fate in that contest.
So yes, the Lakers can look back at these results and wish they had taken advantage of opportunities. However, they have a great chance here to take care of business at home and force a Game 6 if they play with a level of urgency that warrants this situation.
“You have to play with a sense of desperation,” Redick said. “You can’t change what’s already happened and you can’t feel sorry for yourself.”
Despite their current predicament, they are still just a couple of wins away from taking back home court and playing a Game 7 in Los Angeles with LeBron James and Luka Dončić on their side.
For that timeline to exist, the Lakers need to play a complete 48 minutes in Game 5.
That means better offensive rebounding, improved late-game executions and no more historically unprecedented coaching decisions by Redick.
If they can clean these things up, Game 5 will be similar to Game 2, when the Lakers cruised to victory. If not, they won’t have any more games in Minnesota until next season.
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