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Magic Johnson may be six years removed from being the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations, but he continues to make his opinions known when it comes to what is happening with the team he led to five NBA championships as a player.
On Saturday, the Lakers, who had been pegged as championship contenders by many, lost 117-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. They got outclassed in several categories, and Game 2 on Tuesday could very well be a make-or-break contest for them.
While rookie head coach JJ Redick has gotten kudos for the job he has done, especially given the challenges the team has faced, Johnson feels he didn't do his job well in Game 1.
Johnson has a point about L.A.'s offensive stagnation. It shot just 39.8% from the field and had only 15 assists and six fast-break points in Game 1 while also getting beaten badly on the boards and allowing the Timberwolves to make half of their 42 3-point attempts.
It also lacked offensive balance. Luka Doncic was big with 37 points, but LeBron James only had 19 points and Austin Reaves scored 16 points, with 14 of them coming in the third quarter.
If the Lakers win Game 2 by a decent or sizable margin, perhaps they can prove that Game 1 was merely an aberration and that they are indeed legitimate title contenders this year.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Magic Johnson criticizes Lakers head coach JJ Redick after Game 1 loss
Continue reading...
On Saturday, the Lakers, who had been pegged as championship contenders by many, lost 117-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. They got outclassed in several categories, and Game 2 on Tuesday could very well be a make-or-break contest for them.
While rookie head coach JJ Redick has gotten kudos for the job he has done, especially given the challenges the team has faced, Johnson feels he didn't do his job well in Game 1.
Johnson has a point about L.A.'s offensive stagnation. It shot just 39.8% from the field and had only 15 assists and six fast-break points in Game 1 while also getting beaten badly on the boards and allowing the Timberwolves to make half of their 42 3-point attempts.
It also lacked offensive balance. Luka Doncic was big with 37 points, but LeBron James only had 19 points and Austin Reaves scored 16 points, with 14 of them coming in the third quarter.
If the Lakers win Game 2 by a decent or sizable margin, perhaps they can prove that Game 1 was merely an aberration and that they are indeed legitimate title contenders this year.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Magic Johnson criticizes Lakers head coach JJ Redick after Game 1 loss
Continue reading...
