Austin Reaves sends a clear 3-word message to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunde

A camera caught Austin Reaves in the Lakers locker room in Houston after Game 6. The Lakers had just finished off the Rockets in six, the Thunder were waiting in Round 2, and somebody asked him about the matchup. He didn't say much.

"To close it out the way we did is special. Next is OKC, gotta go in there and battle. We'll be ready."

The "we'll be ready" piece is what's being clipped replayed across by Lakers fans on social media.

Reaves missed nine games with the oblique strain before returning for the last two of the Houston series. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds across those two appearances.

Tuesday's tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City. Doncic is still doing on-court rehab work and not close to returning.

The Lakers' roster just won a series the rest of the league didn't see coming. That puts more weight on Reaves than usual.

Reaves leaned into the underdog frame at his Sunday media availability.

“You could say nobody thought we were going to get past Houston, but everybody in this building believed. It's the same mindset going into this. We obviously know the team that we're about to face and how good they are and the problems that they can create for 48 minutes. So, we'll have to lock in every single day, film, whatever it could be, to continue to get better and and pay attention to all the little details like they do,” Reaves said. 

He was also asked about Gilgeous-Alexander's foul-drawing reputation. 

"I know that's a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion. He wants to win and is gonna do whatever it takes to win. If it's shoot 20 free throws, so be it."

"If I shoot 20 free throws, I'd be happy. I don't think there are any bad intentions in trying to get to the line. I think it's somewhat of a, what people call art, but considering how many possessions he has the ball in his hands, and how much he does attack, they're not going to score zero free throws."

On the math side, the Thunder is brutal. They posted a +13.1 net rating with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, a mark Redick himself compared to the '95-'97 Bulls and '15-'17 Warriors. The Thunder went 4-0 against the Lakers in the regular season with a +117 point differential.

OKC head coach Mark Daigneault didn't downplay Reaves either.

"They're adding an extremely high usage player that's great at drawing fouls, really savvy shooter at all three levels. He's just a very crafty, skilled player and someone that they can play through. Somebody that they can give the ball to and can generate offense for them," Mark said.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in the regular season. He also ranked 13th in the league's free-throw attempts at 7.3 per game.

The Lakers were +1.5 net rating this season. The Thunder, +11.1. We'll see what survives Game 1.

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