Lakers’ JJ Redick Reveals the Real Reason L.A. Silenced Doubters in Playoff Upset

After being written off amid injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, head coach JJ Redick points to one defining factor behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round upset of the Houston Rockets.

JJ Redick | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers were heavy underdogs coming into their first-round playoff matchup against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, with the consensus being that the storied franchise wouldn’t be able to compete in this seven-game series without stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

However, the Lakers proved resilient, winning the first three games of the series, taking advantage of Durant’s absence. The superstar forward ended up missing all but Game 2 due to a knee issue and a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.

Veterans LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton all stepped up in this series, helping the team close things out with a win in Game 6 to advance to the second round.

JJ Redick Reveals Key to Lakers' Success vs. Rockets

Lebron James and Austin Reaves | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

After a blowout series-clinching win in Game 6, head coach JJ Redick spoke to the media and revealed what was key to the team’s success while being the underdog against Ime Udoka’s squad.

“I would start with the collective,” Redick said. … “Because each guy is starring in his role and contributing to winning. And that's the story of this playoff series for us, where each guy had moments that helped us win the game.

Redick also touched on what it meant to prove the team’s doubters wrong after getting “written off” before the series began because of the injuries to Doncic and Reaves.

“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said. “It speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team that they didn't let go of the rope.”

With the Lakers coming out on top against the Rockets, Redick has now officially won his first playoff series as a head coach. 

During his first season, the Lakers fell short to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, which was a disappointing result, to say the least.

This time around, however, Redick was able to stay the course while being the underdog to help punch the team’s ticket to the second round. The second-year head coach made it clear that this series win was special, as he’s filled with “gratitude” and is “grateful” to represent the Lakers organization.

“I think gratitude. That's the biggest thing,” Redick said of how he feels after his first playoff series win. “That's been my word for the entire season. … I'm so grateful to represent the Lakers. I'm so grateful for our players. I'm so grateful for my staff.”

With the Lakers now advancing to the second round, the team has arguably the toughest task of any team left in the postseason, as they’ll have to go head-to-head against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who pulled off the only series sweep in the first round, eliminating the Phoenix Suns in four games.

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