JJ Redick postgame - “They’ve kicked our ass 3 straight games. They’re an incredible basketball team.”
Nothing you can do when the other team has a line of bench players that can be in any other teanms starting 5
Dude was saying that tonight. And their second best player is out….
At least we hopefully get to see an amazing series between them and San Antonio
1-2
The disrespect to the wolves is insane… it was a very close game 3 for the majority of it too. Hoping they show up game 4 (and pls don’t be so lazy on transition defense…)
It sucks! If the Spurs pull it off and win, that’s an achievement, beating a well-built Wolves team. Instead the Wolves are just a stepping stone to our date with the Thunder and we’re just a stepping stone to the Thunder’s date with another ring. And whatever’s going on in the East is less than that.
Wolves being banged up doesn’t help many to believe in them.
Yeah if Ant was fully healthy then I’d have more reservation, but he’s clearly not. I think they’re lucky to get one more game.
they’re missing donte too
Yes it’s not disrespectful, they’re a consecutive WCF team, they’re just hurt + Spurs beat OKC multiple times in the regular season
Still what Wolves have achieved so far particularly beating the Nuggets is amazing, props to them
I think most of us just are thinking “ant is injured” and they are missing DV. It’s not disrespect to the wolves as much as it is just an expectation on the Spurs to beat a hobbled Wolves team.
I’m hoping that all this Spurs forgone conclusion will be the ‘They picked us’ V2 and light a fire under the wolves asses.
with all due respect to anthony edwards, thats probably going to be 1-4 real soon
Rooting for you guys honestly. Such a fun team
San Antonio matches up perfectly against us. They can beat us. It’s easier to have an answer for Shai than Wemby. The Thunder aren’t a jump shooting team they live in the paint.
San Antonio matches up well in a regular season matchup, but in a 7 game series there isn’t a team in the league that can outpace the Thunder because of the strength of their bench. They had the best bench in the NBA last year, and now it’s absurd.
Thats true. It’s could go either way tbh. Wemby hasn’t been required to play heavy minutes regularly. Okc bench might run away with it, but Shai could very much struggle with wemby trailing the entire game. There’s a lot of unknowns, but for the suns to win 62 games while wemby, castle, and Harper are 20, 21, and 22. Idk if I’ve ever seen that before.
How many did young KD, Russ and Harden win
San Antonio matches up well in a regular season matchup, but in a 7 game series there isn’t a team in the league that can outpace the Thunder because of the strength of their bench.
In a regular season when teams use their benches more, they have our number, but in the playoffs when rotations tighten it’s our bench that’ll make the difference?
That logic makes no sense to me.
I think it’ll be different from the regular season, but mostly because we’ll have put together better gameplans after being embarrassed in the regular season. I don’t think Coach Mark or Sam Presti will be asleep to the risk of the Spurs.
Also having a healthy team is a big difference from our regular season matchups
I think it’ll be a 4-1 if JDub comes back, possibly a 4-2.
Yall will stop underrating the TWolves one day
They’re a good team, better than my team the blazers, but they’re not on the Spurs/OKC level
Literally nothing. These last 2 games were our best efforts.
Yeah there is you can whine and make up narratives online and hope the pressure causes the ref’s to officiate them more harshly.
Lakers are without their best player though
Regardless as to how this series has played out for the Lakers thus far, JJ has proven to be a competent coach and has earned his stripes IMO. His defensive plan against SGA has been sound for the most part, we are just too deep to make it effective
Yep. Solid Xs and Os, have kept us in the game until second half of each game. But eventually team is too deep and death by a thousand cuts
Facts. But JJ is probably my top 5 coaches in the league
He’s gained my respect this season. Under the circumstances they have made a great run. Without Luka even with LBJ they are quite an unremarkable team
Calm down
Name 5
There are 7 current coaches with a title to their name
Ty Lue and Doc Rivers are better coaches than JJ rn?
Agreed. Lakers need a facelift. GG.
It’s 4 straight years where the top end talent is good enough to contend, but the roster beyond the best 2-3 players (plus Rui and one more usually) isn’t playable at this level.
It’s more than a facelift, it’s a whole front office restructuring.
3⁄4 of Lakers last seasons have mostly been ruined from injuries, AD was made of paper and then Luka came in and has also been a huge injury risk.
I think the Lakers top-end talent not being ready to go in the play-offs, or able to stay healthy for the entire run in ADs case, has been the bigger problem.
+ Reaves has been a curled monkey paw for them where it feels like they got super lucky with an undrafted pick being a borderline star, but he’s not actually good enough to be a legit #2 and despite his scoring/playmaking abilities, he doesn’t fit well as the #3 guy next to Bron/Luka come playoffs.
Get the Lakers a big guy like Hartenstein, Duran, Mobly or even a good rim protecting wing like the Thompson twins in a Reaves trade, even if you have to attach a pick to do it, and a Luka/Lebron led Lakers can probably contend next year if they make it through healthy + you’ll get more out of a solid big as the #3 for Luka going forward after Lebron then you would have keeping Reaves.
That one time Luka went to the Finals, people made excuses about him being hurt. The same thing happened when they lost in the first round last year. This year, he didn’t play at all. Historically, he doesn’t even take care of his body.
If people wanna call AD a problem for getting hurt from actually playing physical defense, then I don’t see why they’re fine with continuing to bank on Luka who keeps showing up to the post season hurt, if at all, because of non-contact injuries
Edit - typical Luka stans, mad about the truth and know they can’t do shit but downvote lmao
Lukas injury history is way less checkered than ADs, let’s be real now
Take the names outta the equation, and most people would say they respect the player getting injuries from physical defense more than the player getting non-contact injuries
If you deny that, you’re delusional
I respect the guy who has a better track record of health, and that’s Luka
Taking pride in being someone who can’t comprehend details or context is a weird flex. But you do you. Ball hogging to a historical usage and non-contact injuries year after year is cool to some, I guess
I’ll save my respect for the guy who historically takes care of his body, plays hard on both ends of the floor, and was pivotal in a championship run
Good for you. Luka doesn’t have multiple nicknames about his injury history like AD.
Well them dang Thundercats ate all the good picks. Their front office is Stephen Hawking level brilliant
Mf is speaking through a computer
Didn’t the front office just get restructured? This off-season is the first test
do they have much to work with? doesnt seem fair
insallah Walter outs Pelinka and brings someone else in this offseason
That’s a lot of teams to be fair. All the teams that look like they will dominate for the next while just finished their rebuild and are full of young guys on good value contracts
You didn’t use any IQ to post this, did you. We’re missing the toppest end of that top talent lol
the front office that traded a bum and max christie for luka doncic should get 20 years of job security
Yeaaaaah I don’t think so
I think having our best player in a jersey and shorts would be a good start.
Selfishly I agree.
The strategy has succeeded in shutting down SGA but just shutting down SGA isn’t the secret to beating the thunder. We would’ve needed to have a 2024 style meltdown where our roleplayers couldn’t hit a shot but it’s just not the same guys playing anymore.
They didn’t even shut him down. If he thought playing 4v5 against OKC was a great idea, then he needs to go back to podcasting because it’s been belt to ass for 3 straight games.
Cason, McCain and dudes are nailing open threes. If these Lakers had caught us during last season’s playoffs when we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, they easily could have stolen either tonight or Game 2. I doubted JJ when they hired him too but he’s a lot closer to the best HC in the NBA than the worst. He just has to give minutes to multiple dudes who should not be in the league
Absolutely.
Through 3 games, The Lakers have held SGA to 21 ppg, which 10 whole points less than his season average, on 45.8% shooting, which is nearly 10% below his season average.
OKC is just too deep and too good. And without Luka, we just don’t have the firepower to overcome them.
I see what you did there
Easily the best coach in the playoffs so far imo.
Y’all should be blowing em out by 40 every night.
Wtf??
JJ is an incredible coach. He just needs more tools to work with, especially defensively
I dunno man,.when I watch Ayton my first thought is “what a freaking tool”
I was a delusional Ayton believer when the season began but I’ve completely given up on him. Such an infuriating player to watch
U see the difference when davis gains position in the post, ayton could never stand on his ground
Doesn’t stand his ground and when he does get an advantage he never goes toward the bucket. Bro is afraid of the rim.
Oh man as a Suns fan I feel your pain!!! The dude plays like he’ll go into anaphylactic shock if he touches the rim! I spent way more time and energy than I’d like to admit during the 21-22 season spewing venom at him with every 3ft fadeaway…🥵
You weren’t delusional, he won them the first round. But they just don’t have enough options against OKC. Is he starting calibre of a title team? Probably not but he was just fine for the most part, for what they paid to get him
DOMINAYTION
I mean yeah like Lebron said, you lose the guy that averages 33/8/8, what do you expect
Apparently expect to be better according to developmentally challenged people
JJ is honestly doing miracles. And if Ayton and laravia had their head screwed on this could have potentially been a gentleman’s sweep at least
Ya, our personnel just aren’t good enough.
We’re old and have no athleticism outside of 41 year old LeBron.
It shows up when all of your guards can get to the rim at will. On top of that, there is little rim protection and 0 depth.
OKC is by far the worst matchup for the Lakers given your guards and ability to play 2 bigs without sacrificing anything on offense or defense.
Marcus Smart guards SGA as well as anyone, but when Austin Reaves is cancelling out everything he does it’s kinda hard.
Reaves, Rui, Kennard etc. It really doesn’t matter.
OKC just flies by all of our guards, even Smart has had lapses.
I just get annoyed watching our guys play defense.
There is no awareness whatsoever. Their feet are never in the right position. Even if you get beat, funnel the ball handler toward the help. Also, the help is always late and never in position.
Ajay Mitchell is a fantastic player but he is not Jalen Brunson. Reaves is incapable of not biting on any every head fake he gives. Mitchell wants to finish at the rim; prioritize that over everything else. If he settles for a turnaround fadeaway, take it.
We had a 1% chance of winning this series, but these guys don’t play to maximize that. OKC does whatever they want.
Imagine saying 10 years ago that Lebron would be the most athletic player on his team in the big 2026
Shout-out to JJ for being real. He’s said the usual shit coaches say, but he’s been very candid about this series. Even though some guys tried to alter his quotes, he’s been pretty consistent in what he’s said and hasn’t sounded like a sore loser at all.
My problem’s not with you Klotzki, I know you can beat me.
The podcasting/media experience actually helped him deal with how soundbites and headlines are being presented lol
JJ is a good coach and will continue to be a good coach. He’s been humble in the postgames, and it’s refreshing compared to multiple other coaches in the playoffs that have complained about the whistles immediately after losses. I think his game plan has worked relatively well on SGA this series. I’ve definitely been impressed by his coaching
He put up a hell of a show on how to stop SGA, problem is the roster just doesn’t have the juice to get it to matter. He’s a much better coach than people were giving him credit for earlier in the year. He’s gonna be around for a while and I really like the guy so I’m hopeful.
Lakers Ownership, let’s see how long they can last though. They live in the “Championship Level in 3 years” kind of take.
I grew up nearby this guy and would have never guessed he’d become the self-aware, honest guy he is today. Shame on me for doubting that and it’s awesome to see what he’s become.
That’s because his team has no chance.
Why waste breath cursing the refs or getting fired up over anything else just to look stupid in hindsight whether it’s 4-0 or 4-1.
Game 1 - 108-90 Lakers L
Game 2 - 125-107 Lakers L
Game 3 - 131-108 Lakers L
They are -59 in this series in 3 games
They lost the regular season series to OKC by an AVERAGE of almost 30ppg.
We’re getting better 😤😤
Huge step up from the regular season average
By golly
scoring more points every game, I guess
And they were in every game until the mid 3rd. Then they got blown out in a quarter and a half every damn time.
How could the refs do that
Thanks Magic
Did anyone actually think the lakers could compete without Luka?
Even with Luka the Thunder blasted them in the regular season.
Yeah exactly so how could they compete without him? I don’t put as much measure in regular season
Ya they had no chance
Everyone knows the only threat to them is injury or the Spurs
Maybe the Knicks but I don’t trust them as much
My Pistons would get blasted and the Wolves got dismantled by them last year too
The Knicks?
They had some success against them but idk
The Knicks are usually one of the more physical matchups for the Thunder. The game last year in New York was a blowout but the other games have generally been back and forth despite the Knicks not winning any of them. I don’t think they’d win a series against the Thunder but they would for sure win at least a game, even two games wouldn’t be surprising.
I’d have considered it a miracle if the Lakers snuck one W away from this team.
Sir do you know how much hopium I’ve smoked in the last week. Anything was possible
I thought Luka was coming back too lol
Possibly 4-2 with healthy Luka
Did anyone who keeps saying this watch the last time Luka played OKC?
3-10, the usual bad defense, and left the game early after helping put the team in a 30 point hole
Edit - downvotes don’t change facts, stans. Luka isn’t the basketball savant you keep pretending he is. He’s just a ball hog who can score most nights and is useless on the nights he can’t. Foul baiting is the only reason his efficiency is even somewhat respectable. Sorry not sorry.
You’re right
no mention of refs?
Even his game 2 press conference was pretty reasonable if you listen to the whole thing. Just typical clip farming in this sub
Reaves had more FT’s than the Thunder tonight and was still ASS lmaooooo
No he didn’t, but go off.
Shai got 7 FT’s and was ass too.
Bro was triple teamed the whole game lolll
No he wasn’t. Did you watch the game?
He was getting grappled off ball half the game so we played 4v4 and cooked
Guy shot like dogshit the whole 1st half bro and it was his best game of the series 😂 God knows Luka would be crucified if he had the series Shai been having.
If Luka was up 3-0, shooting poorly but doing everything else to help win he absolutely would not be getting crucified.
Everyone would be talking about his “improved defence” etc
One is a cone on defense.
JJ’s not allowed to mention the refs in post-game while Finch’s team is still in contention.
OKC had 10 FTs for the whole team. He’d look dumb trying to blame this on the refs.
Despite all the incessant crying about officiating we see surrounding this series, Redick knows there isn’t some grand conspiracy against the Los Angeles Lakers of all teams.
I mean most of the crying centers around the refs just being fucking awful. They’re definitely not the reason we’re down 0-3 though. Would be nice to see LeBron make it to the line more.
they didn’t ask questions about the refs so he didn’t talk about them crazy how that works
The refs are a problem but leave it to the next team to complain at this point imo. Kind of sour to keep complaining when you’re clearly getting beat by more than just the refs
belt to ass, make it stopppp
It’ll stop the next game, don’t worry
Can’t wait for Seattle to get a team back. You can even have KD if you want.
I see what you did there.
Yeah no shit that’s why anyone with a brain predicted a sweep .
Why we acting like it’s shocking and surprising!?
lots of Thunder fans seem really upset other fanbases seemingly don’t respect them as much as they feel they should be respected
It gets tiring not being able to have basketball discussions because every other comment is spamming “Lu DiRt” or “prison ball.”
Reddit discussions are pretty shallow, but r/nba might be the worst. There are a lot of good points made, but there’s so much crap to dig through, it’s tiresome to find them
There’s legitimate criticisms that the Thunder deserve but too many people get caught up in the “FTA” discourse to have those conversations.
People generally just think OKC sucks to watch and the internet fanbase seem like literal children. Otherwise who cares.
The Lakers sub was full of people saying anyone who didn’t believe in the team was a fake fan, and now they’re the same people who are crashing out saying that we need to trade everyone and trying to blame people for the losses.
This was literally the expected outcome.
We’ve reached the acceptance stage it seems
acceptance stage was reached when luka got injured
Exactly. Lakers hit their ceiling beating the Rockets.
A big positive is that this is exposing who should be here next season and who shouldn’t be. Also who should be getting big contracts and who shouldn’t lol
On average people had Rockets in 5.5 games, don’t understand how Thunder fans feel they’re rubbing salt in the wound when Laker fans are ecstatic we just got to see them in the second round to begin with lol.
people had the rockets in 5 with durant. obviously even with him its likely the series wouldn’t be over that quickly and the lakers may still have won, but it’s not like people thought the durant-less rockets would win in 5.
KD Rockets didn’t even take a game
Can’t say Im estactic, but Im realistic lol
Yah. Good transition year. We need an overall of our strategy.
I’d say they flew through their ceiling and hit a cloud
Reaves doesn’t deserve a minimum
Bro the fact we even won round 1 is insane. It took a monumental choke from Houston
Absolutely not in this sub it wasnt
-15 favorites to go into a series, lol. I don’t think anyone but homers really thought it was anything but a long shot.
BTA Acceptance 🙂
Reportes usually ask the same damn questions every single time, “Why do you think you came up short?”
Sometime the answer is just too simple and nothing to do with X and O’s. It’s just one side is too much stronger than the other.
Lakers have a huge Luka sized hole and they’re probably playing a still injured AR. They really don’t have a long shot.
Luka ain’t changing shit
Nah Luka gives them a punchers chance. Without Luka there was r really no chance
Last time we played them with Luka, we were up by 30 points at half time lol.
As we’ve known all year this Lakers team was a 2nd round exit ceiling because of the lack of defense. Luka brings nothing that changes that. Thunder are barely trying in the 1st half lulling the Lakers into false security then wearing them down and blowing them out.
Correct
He’s sadly right
This Thunder squad feels like 2010s Alabama football
Trevor Knight in the Sugar Bowl is an all-time memory for me.
Honestly JJ is a good coach, the defense strategy on Shai worked all series, we just got depth Bru, it nullified that shxt
they planned for Shai.
they did not plan for Ajay.
Ayton has had a rough series too, feel like he has given pre good effort just has flaws in his game.
I think JJ did the absolute best anyone could expect of him. Roster is outclassed on every level and half the team is playing like shit.
Spurs OKC going to be a great seires
Appreciate JJ acknowledges the other team is better. Unlike Reaves who has been crying about officials this entire series. I hate him more for that.
True
Cant lie. THUNDER vs SPURS give Lakers/Kings 2002, Mavs /Warriors 2007, vibes . Possible all time WC games/rivalries….don’t forget Duncan retiring after that OKC series. Thats the match up
Lakers just doesn’t have the defensive pieces to compete against OKC. The Spurs and Timberwolves are the only teams that can compensate against OKC’s offense and even then OKC is so fucking deep they can win the war of attrition in those matchups. Spurs might be the only team that can stop OKC from a 2nd ring.
I don’t know man, one minute we only win because of the refs and then the next we are a super team. The constant goal post moving is exhausting
It’s insane that anyone thought the Lakers could beat them.
All the top comments are Thunder fans speaking well of JJ. Fuck that. I don’t like praise when the other team is kicking your ass, it’s the most ‘Pep Guardiola’ thing to do. Speak well of the little ones that ain’t nothing to you but hate them the moment they start winning and jeopardize your reign. I wanna be hated, I wanna be mocked.
Better team just won. I only expected Lakers to get 1 win max. LeBron should go to warriors or cavs.
JJ should retire while he still has his sanity.
JJ is a fine coach that the Lakers will let go eventually because they’ll get impatient
Pelinka playing checkers while Presti plays chess
3 straight? Did you include the regular season jj? You got swept by okc in the regular season too. Might as well call them okLAhoma thunder, taking the title from nikoLA jokic after the nuggets humiliated
No no no don’t you get it. The foul call on dort which was a foul call but not a shooting foul was the turning point.
JJ just a shit coach omfg
And yours is fraudulent
If only their fanbase had even the tiniest fraction of his intelligence.
Why would the refs allow this
I love watching this man and this team lose.
Time for him to rev up those podcast mics
Belt to Ass. They should have asked him about LeBron’s whistle tonight after that no show performance.
It’s time to bring the brooms out
LeBron was getting mauled in the paint. Didn’t even take his first free throw until I think the 3rd quarter
Probably wanna find another way to be a smartass lol
Mauled? This is the playoffs. Instead of being physical, he started playing in the perimeter. Waste of cap space.
3-0. Watch the replay later, he might play differently.
Lakers kept getting called every time they matched OKC’s physicality on defense, and missed shots when trying to match their physicality on offense because of getting fouled
What game were you watching? Lemme guess, you’re the type to google free throw counts instead of watching what leads to the free throws?
Edit - nvm, just noticed you called LeBron a waste of cap space. I’m not engaging further in this nonsense 😂
Lakers shot double the FT tonight.
I agree that Bron whistle is ass and should’ve had a bunch more FT but you cant use that “Lakers kept getting called ” argument.
Me:
You:
You guys always out yourselves 😂
Amazing first paragraph showing somebody did not watch the game.
Let me guess, you thought Austin Reeves deserved those 3 free throws after the moving screen. That’s cute.
Oh, you’ll no longer engage because I called LeBron out for what he is at this point in his career. Casuals need to stick to 2k.
He fucking worked all your defenders game 1 and 2 in the paint and shot a total of 5 free throws. Just a dumb bastard here.
Guess he didn’t work enough if all he shot was 5 free throws.
3-0. Get ready for Cancun for the 4 straight year. Enjoy it, casual
Do you fucking understand basketball as a sport or are you just being obstinate on purpose?
JJ is probably the most yes man to Silver ever
JJ never makes mistakes. He just doesn’t. It’s amazing to see how he just does the right thing.
Edit: oh y’all love his sarcasm but not mine. I see.
Redick is NOT a competent coach. Yes, the OKC are the better team, BUT:
This Laker team has NO balance whatsoever, they look lost on both ends of the floor. All these are on the coach, not just the players available.
My man… Can’t even respond to this one