After an embarrassing beatdown in Oklahoma City earlier this season, Monday felt like a big step forward for the Lakers. However, at the same time, it felt like a big missed opportunity.
The Lakers found a formula in the third quarter that let them not only get back into the game, but take control of the contest. The team simply went to a bully ball approach that saw LeBron James pick on the smallest Thunder defenders, force his way to the basket and either finish at the rim or create an open look.
However, once the fourth quarter came around, the Lakers didn’t, or couldn’t, go back to that. The result was the Lakers struggling to find consistent offense and when they did, the shots weren’t falling. The Thunder, meanwhile, did convert on their chances and, in a make-or-miss league, that was enough to win.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick said the inability to get LeBron the ball in the fourth proved costly.
“Down the stretch at times to start the fourth, I didn’t think we did a good job of getting LeBron the ball,” Redick said. “Some of that was we called plays and we didn’t execute. Some of that was just not having just the recognition. Him playing against smaller players was how we got back in the game and we didn’t do a good job of getting him the ball.”
Oklahoma City wasn’t going to simply allow LeBron to keep punishing them without adjusting, which they did. As a result, it wasn’t quite as simple as LeBron getting a switch and being on an island to punish a defender.
Still, the Lakers made a difficult task impossible through no fault of their own. After scoring 10 points on four shots from the field and the line along with three assists in the third quarter, LeBron attempted just three shots in the final four minutes of the game, making two of them.
While the Lakers can come away from Monday’s game encouraged, they also have the overwhelming feeling of an opportunity missed as well.