JJ Redick Thought Lakers Played Harder & Communicated In Second Half Vs. Heat
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It was a tale of two halves for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. L.A. trailed 66-54 at the break, allowing for guard Tyler Herro to score 22 points on five made 3-pointers while head coach JJ Redick didn’t see much in terms of consistent offensive production.
But the Lakers flipped a switch in the second half, storming back and taking command of the game. They won the third quarter — a period that has been a struggle for Redick’s team this season — 29-19 and won the second half 63-42 en route to a nine-point victory that snapped a three-game losing streak.
Redick was asked about what changed for the Lakers at halftime and how they were able to completely change the course of the night. And while there has been much talk about games where the team fails to execute the game plan, Redick believes this was just a matter of wanting it more and communicating.
"There was nothing we changed schematically,” Redick said. “I implored our team to talk more and play harder. I thought we did that. There were stretches, don't get me wrong, in the first half where we played hard and they made shots and all that. We talk about this all of the time. The NBA is very different than it was five years ago. It's much different than it was 10 years ago. The requirement to win a basketball game is enormous against anybody in this league. It starts with playing hard, being connected and talking. I thought we did a great job.
“It's small stuff [but] Jaxson [Hayes] played 14 minutes and was the best he's played since he got back from injury. He was great with his talk. LeBron [James], AD (Anthony Davis) and AR (Austin Reaves), those guys led tonight. All three of them were very vocal. We showed a really high level of resolve that we've had at times. We can point to games where we get down and teams are making shots. I thought we created really good looks from the zone when they went to the zone in the second quarter. They didn't go down, we trusted the process and we made shots in the second half. But it was really our defense that allowed us to get back into the game and ultimately win."
The way the team rallied in the second half confirmed a belief for Redick that the Lakers play better when they are in sync with one another.
“There’s power with the group, and there’s power in being connected. And there’s a lot of things that go wrong in every single basketball game, and you have to stay connected. And I thought we did a fantastic job with that tonight. And our coaching staff, all of them, they did a great job, but it was our players tonight, like I got to give them credit. They stayed the course. They stayed connected. They showed resolve. It was it was them tonight."
Wednesday night was a needed win for L.A., who is in the middle of a tight pack to avoid the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference. They rose to No. 6 in the conference with the win, but they need to stay connected, as only three games separates fifth from 12th in the West.
JJ Redick discusses Lakers connection to L.A.
JJ Redick is certainly familiar with the city of L.A. and what it means to be a part of that community. He played for the L.A. Clippers for four of his 15 NBA seasons. However, in the last few weeks, he's gotten an extra up-close look at the connection the Lakers have with the city.
As wildfires devastated multiple L.A. communities — including Redick's own Pacific Palisades — he saw the way the people rallied together, not only within his town and within the Lakers organization, but throughout the entire sprawling metropolis.
With the Lakers back in action earlier this week, Redick got to see the way the Lakers fandom banded together in what could only be described as the hardest of times for the city. And he was able to reflect on the special bond that the Lakers franchise has with the community of Los Angeles.
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