Lakers coach JJ Redick knows how difficult it is to close out a playoff series.
When asked ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Rockets about the challenge of closing out a series, Redick was quick to provide a reminder that he was on the Clippers team that blew the 3-1 series lead to the Rockets in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals before eventually losing the series in seven games.
But he was also on the Magic team that forced a Game 6 in the 2010 Eastern Conference finals matchup to the Celtics after trailing 3-0 in the series.
Once a team’s backs are against the wall, their sense of desperation heightens. Holes that would’ve been easier to exploit in the series are either filled because the game plans adjust, or added hustle makes it more challenging to capitalize off the weaknesses.
The Lakers just saw how difficult it was to close out their best-of-seven first round series against the Rockets.
After decisively being the better team in Game 1 and Game 2 in Los Angeles, and taking advantage of the Rockets’ mistakes down the stretch of Game 3 to pull off a miraculous comeback to take a 3-0 series lead, the Rockets left little to doubt in Game 4 at Toyota Center.
They were more aggressive and physical defensively, a significant reason for the Lakers’ 24 turnovers that led to 30 Rockets’ points.
The Rockets finally found an offensive rhythm and attacked the weak points in the Lakers’ defense, helping them score a series-high 115 points on series-bests of 48.1% shooting from the field, 52.9% on 2-pointers (27 of 51) and 40% shooting on 3-pointers (12 of 30).
The Game 4 victory in Houston was so energizing for the Rockets that on Tuesday starting forward Jabari Smith said: “We’re obviously the better team. I just feel like from top to bottom…we’re the better team.”
One victory gave the Rockets life.
That’s what the Lakers are looking to take away during Wednesday’s Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena – metaphorically, of course.
“Well, you have to kill them,” Redick responded when asked why it’s so difficult to close out a playoff series. “It’s difficult to kill someone. You’ve got to…again, survival instincts say, ‘I want to stay alive.’ And so, you got to be able to kill them. That’s what [it takes].”
Statistics and history are on the Lakers’ side to wrap up the first round series, and do so quickly.
Since the NBA moved to a 16-team playoff format in 1984, no team in league history has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the 125 instances it happened entering this year’s playoffs.
That includes a perfect 105-0 record for the team that entered the series with homecourt advantage.
The Rockets are one of just 39 teams to force a Game 5 after dropping the first two road games and first home game consecutively under the 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Of those 39, just eight forced a Game 6.
And of those eight, only two forced a Game 7: the Nuggets in the 1994 Western Conference semifinals against the Jazz; and the Trail Blazers against the Mavericks in the first round of the 2003 playoffs.
Most recently, the Celtics forced a Game 7 against the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, but that was after dropping their first two home games and their first road game.
But all of those series ended the same: The team that had the three-game lead won.
But the Rockets took the most important step in their attempt to pull off the improbable comeback. They won a game at home.
“I mean it’s tough to play in the playoffs on the road,” Luke Kennard said on Tuesday. “It’s just how it is and we saw that in Game 3, we came up with a great win, but Game 4, they took it up another level. I don’t want to say we weren’t ready for it because we talked about it but at the same time it’s tough and we knew that. They made some good adjustments, so give some credit to them for that. But for us, again, we gotta come back and protect home court and be ready for Game 5.”
The Rockets will have renewed life in Game 5. And confidence.
The Lakers’ mission is to ensure it doesn’t last any longer.
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