Basketball has long been said to be a game of runs, and no team in the NBA is quite as terrifying as the Oklahoma City Thunder when they get going. A snowball can quickly turn into an avalanche without the right countermeasures being enacted. That is where JJ Redick comes in.
The Los Angeles Lakers head coach has not shied away from admitting how great the opponent for his team is going to be in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Redick has openly compared the Thunder to some of the greatest teams in league history.
So, how does the Lakers coach do his part to help his team slow that kind of force down? Apart from the obvious preparations, Redick revealed one specific part of his job that will need to be mastered in the second-round series. The second-year coach has to be incredibly tactful with his timeouts.
"I've got to be more diligent than I normally am. I like my timeouts. ... I don't think you have the luxury of worrying about that because the game can get away from you so quick because of how explosive they are when they go on their runs. And they do that to everybody."
JJ Redick will need to pick his spots carefully to slow down Thunder runs
Redick praised the Thunder for how good they are with runs, thanks to the incredible defense they play and the turnovers they create. Limiting those runs is something that will be a priority for him.
This is a tough task for Redick, who enjoys having timeouts in his back pocket. The Lakers coach admitted that he likes heading into the fourth quarter with four timeouts and the final 30 seconds with two. All of that gets thrown out the window against the Thunder when it comes to slowing down a bullet train.
Redick said these runs were something the Phoenix Suns fell victim to in the first round. He also said the Lakers faced similar struggles during the regular season clashes with the Thunder. It is time to change the pace, figuratively and literally.
The Lakers will understandably enter the series against the Thunder as underdogs. They will need to be meticulous with their preparation and execution to keep up.
Redick, often lovingly referred to ask a basketball psycho, has clearly done the work to ready himself as best as possible to challenge the Thunder. That should, at the least, give the Lakers a coach who is doing his best to put the team in a position to succeed.
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