JJ Redick did not sound like a coach preparing for an upset. He sounded like a man sizing up history. Before the Lakers opened a second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in El Segundo, Calif., Redick said the Thunder are one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history and compared their net-rating profile to the 1995-96 Bulls, the 1996-97 Bulls and the 2016-17 Warriors.
That is the mountain the Lakers are about to climb, and Redick made clear he thinks the steepest part is Oklahoma City’s defense. He said the Thunder are disruptive in virtually every way, ranking top five in steals, blocks and turnovers forced while doing it without fouling, a balance he called one of the most remarkable things in NBA history. Oklahoma City has been called for 1,555 personal fouls this season, seventh-fewest in the NBA.
The Lakers, by contrast, have spent the season leaning into the same kind of discipline. They were called for 1,517 personal fouls, third fewest in the NBA, but the matchup still looks brutal because the Thunder force opponents to play uncomfortable basketball on every trip. Austin Reaves said Oklahoma City won it all last year and has been the best team in basketball all season, while Jake LaRavia said the answer starts with being the more physical team.
Reaves pointed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the engine. He credited the Thunder star’s three-level scoring and his ability to get to the free throw line, and said the Lakers will have to go into the series with confidence rather than fear. LaRavia echoed that view, saying the group must make everything uncomfortable for Gilgeous-Alexander and try to force tough shots, even if the whistle goes against them.
Redick said the Lakers had everyone available at practice Sunday except Luka Dončić, and the team did not give an update on Dončić’s status. That leaves one more layer of uncertainty as the series begins, especially with the Lakers entering as heavier underdogs than they were against the Houston Rockets. The gap between those two matchups says enough on its own: the Lakers are not just trying to win a series. They are trying to take down a team Redick placed in the same conversation as the greatest squads the league has ever seen.
The only question that really matters now is whether the Lakers can make that conversation a little less absolute once the games begin.