JJ Redick’s coaching moment of truth has finally arrived

OKLAHOMA CITY — Over the course of NBA history, there have been impressive coaching performances. 

Rick Carlisle inserting J.J. Barea into the Mavericks’ starting lineup in the middle of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Heat’s “Big 3” is one. 

Lakers coach JJ Redick has led the franchise to back-to-back 50-win seasons. Getty Images

Trailing 2-1 to the Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals before Steve Kerr inserted Andre Iguodala into the Warriors’ starting lineup is another.

But for Lakers coach JJ Redick, defeating the reigning champion Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals without Luka Doncic might top them all. 

Redick has shown promise in his first two years as a head coach at any level. He’s guided the Lakers to back-to-back 50-win seasons. He led the wounded Lakers to a first-round upset over the Rockets without his leading scorers. That’s not accidental. That’s real coaching. 

But beating the reigning champion Thunder? This assignment is different.

For Redick to do the impossible, he must prove that he can outthink a machine. 

A cold, precise and relentless machine. 

But don’t take our word for it. Take Redick’s. He said it out loud. 

“The Thunder are one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history. That’s just the reality, they’re that good,” a brutally honest Redick said. “They are a well-oiled machine.”

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is part of “one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history,” Redick said of the Thunder. NBAE via Getty Images

Part of what makes that machine move is that the Thunder don’t just beat you — they suffocate you to death. They force turnovers, they clog passing lanes, they switch on the perimeter, and when you try to drive to the basket, they’ll block your shot back to last week. 

And as Redick pointed out, they do all of that without committing fouls. 

“They’re top five in every disruptive category … and they don’t foul,” Redick said.

Read between the lines, and that’s not analysis, that’s a warning flare to the officials. 

It gives off vintage Phil Jackson vibes. Say something to the media loud enough that it echoes into the officiating crew’s subconscious. Redick knows he’ll need every little edge he can get to beat OKC, and in the playoffs, edges don’t exist unless you manufacture them.

Because on paper, there isn’t a single area in which OKC is vulnerable. 

“They don’t have a weakness,” Redick admitted.

He’s right. The Thunder are young, fast and deep. They defend without fouling. They can kill you in the half court or in transition. They protect the rim. They shoot 3s at a high clip. They guard the perimeter. And they have the reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who can glide to the paint like a whisper and shoot free throws like clockwork. Around the league, they call him “the foul merchant.”

Redick sees it. Opposing coaches see it. But the question is: Can you stop it?

Redick was asked how the Lakers can win this series. His answer was plain and simple. 

“Belief, attention to detail and poise.” 

Simple words that hide an impossible assignment. For the Lakers to win this series, they need to shoot greater than 40% from 3. They have to defend at an elite level against the best offense in basketball. They need to limit their live-ball turnovers, and they need to stop the Thunder’s runs before they blink and are down double digits.

They failed at all three in Game 1.

“They’re really good at runs … limiting their runs is going to be really important,” Redick said.

Easier said than done. Like threading a needle in the middle of a hurricane.

If Redick leads the Lakers to victory over the Thunder, especially without Luka Doncic, it would be the coaching performance of a lifetime. NBAE via Getty Images

Similar to his players on the court, there’s no margin for error for Redick when coaching. Everything he does must be perfect to beat OKC. The timing of his timeouts. His rotation gambles. Trusting the right player to stay on the court for one extra minute. Subbing out the wrong one a possession too late. To win the series, it won’t be about schemes or X’s and O’s. It’s about the little decisions he makes in short five-second windows that will come with consequences that will reverberate for quarters. 

Unfortunately for Redick, he could coach brilliantly and the Lakers will still lose in five. 

That’s not a failure, either. That’s reality. 

The Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the regular season by an average of nearly 30 points per game. It’s the largest margin of victory by any teams in a playoff series in NBA history. That didn’t magically disappear in Game 1 when they lost by 18.

So for Redick, what defines success at the end of this series?

Steal a game and you’ve disrupted the narrative for a day.

Win two and you’ve earned respect. 

Push it to seven and we might need to change the Coach of the Year Award winner this season. 

Win the series and we can enshrine him into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame tomorrow. 

Because if Redick upsets this version of the Thunder without Doncic, then it isn’t just an upset, it’s the best coaching performance of all time. It would be studied and analyzed forever.

Until then, Redick is staring straight into the eye of a storm, clipboard in hand, trying to outthink a well-oiled machine that crushes everything in its path. 

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