The Los Angeles Lakers head into their Game 5 on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves down 3-1, and one JJ Redick decision from last time out is still fresh in the minds of many fans: The choice to play the starters for the entire second half of Game 4.
If you feel like you've never heard of such a thing happening for your team or any other team, you'd be correct. According to official tracking data, it was the first time a head coach has not made any substitutions in the second half of any NBA game since the tracking era began.
It was certainly a bold and perhaps a stubborn decision from Redick. For all 24 minutes of half number two, he rolled with LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura. But according to the Lakers' coach, it wasn't a decision he pre-planned. “No, it wasn’t planned,” Redick said. “We just made the decision at halftime.”
For much of the third quarter, it looked hard to argue with his tactic. The Lakers went into the half down by three points, and headed into the final frame of action up by 10. LA took a Timberwolves team that usually plays excellent basketball in the third quarter and limited them to only 23 points en route to taking a double-digit advantage.
JJ Redick did not make a substitution in the second half of Game 4
But then, as Anthony Edwards heated up in the fourth, the home crowd began to get back into it. This is likely where many would argue it was time for Redick to make some sort of adjustment when it came to his lineup on the floor. But he stuck with his plan, and again, it nearly paid off.
Had Austin Reaves' three-pointer from the right corner fallen through the net and tied this series 2-2, we would be having a much different discussion right now. It's truly a make-or-miss league, as the old saying goes.
But something else this development did for Lakers fans was give them a reminder of the roller coaster ride that was Darvin Ham's coaching at times. All year, there was a near-consensus opinion among fans that Redick was unquestionably an upgrade at the coaching position.
This decision from the second half of Game 4 doesn't prove Redick is a coaching liability or anything of the like. But it does serve to remind everyone that with a rookie head coach, there are going to be some ups and downs. This bold choice from JJ didn't pay off, and it's all part of the experience.