No NBA team just wants to roll over and die, even when they are down 3-0. The Los Angeles Lakers saw that in Game 4. They took their foot off the pedal, and the Houston Rockets brought the needed desperation to keep their season alive. Now, they have even more confidence for Game 5.
JJ Redick, a former player, perfectly understands that teams do not just want to concede defeat. They need to have hope ripped away from them. That is why the Lakers need to rediscover the desperation they played with in Games 1 through 3. Redick had a strong message to reignite as much.
"Well, you have to kill them. You have to kill ... it's difficult to kill someone. Survival instinct says 'I want to stay alive.' So you've got to be able to be able to kill them. That's what's difficult.”
The Rockets proved they would be difficult to put down, even while stuck in a scenario that no NBA team has ever come back from. The Lakers would be wise to listen to Redick's unapologetically loud statement on what needs to be done by the team from here, or face the consequences.
Lakers must do what is necessary to bury Rockets in Game 5 — before it's too late
Hope is a dangerous thing. The Rockets have it right now after finally walking away victorious from a head-to-head matchup in Game 4. Letting a team build momentum with back-to-back wins would invite some serious discomfort.
Redick is not saying anything the Lakers should not already know. Marcus Smart, a key figure in the Game 3 heroics, was talking about showing off the team's killer mindset after the 3-0 lead was in their grasps.
The Rockets have already shown the dangers of letting a team stay alive. They are already yapping in their own media sessions with an outrageous amount of confidence for a team that is still down 3-1 in the series. Jabari Smith Jr. just called Houston the better team of the two, and he thought that was obvious.
It is time for the Lakers to stop playing with their food.
They did the gentlemanly thing and allowed the Rockets to get a game. That is where their kindness should end.
Game 5, homecourt, Austin Reaves potentially on his way back — the Lakers have what they need to press the Rockets down and finish them off. Redick's team must hear his message and do the job.
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