The Los Angeles Lakers enter the Western Conference semifinals with a clear message from head coach JJ Redick as they prepare to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 on Tuesday at the Paycom Center.
Redick outlined the primary focus for the series during his Sunday practice availability ahead of the matchup, emphasizing possession control against one of the league’s most disruptive defenses. “Taking care of the ball,” the coach said.
He directly compared Oklahoma City’s defensive identity to the Rockets, stating, “The reality of their defense is that whatever moments we felt Houston pressuring, the maximum amount of pressure they put on us, that’s OKC’s baseline. That’s their floor.”
Redick also highlighted the Thunder’s defensive versatility and discipline across multiple categories.
“You’re talking about a team that’s top five in every disruptive category: steals, blocks, turnovers forced, all that stuff. And they don’t foul. They somehow do all of that without fouling, which is one of the most remarkable things I think in NBA history.”
The Lakers coach stressed repetition in preparation, pointing to how the team is building habits ahead of Game 1.
“You just have to keep hammering away at it. Today was building towards what tomorrow is going to look like and building towards game one,” Redick said. “We have to have some built-in pressure releases.”
Redick added that the Thunder’s ability to convert defense into offense is a defining factor in the matchup.
“They average basically a 12-0 run in all their wins and they average an 8-0 run in all their losses. Their ability to generate offense from their defense is huge.”
Offensively, Redick emphasized execution over shot selection philosophy, especially against OKC’s shifting coverages.
“It comes down to can you take care of the ball and get a shot on goal,” he said. “The starring in your role thing at this point in the season is not important. It’s about getting a shot on goal and not turning the ball over.”
He also noted the importance of reading defensive coverage rather than forcing perimeter volume.
“If they’re not willing to give up threes, you can’t force feed threes. But we got to be ready to launch.”
Redick acknowledged the scale of the challenge, describing Oklahoma City as historically elite based on statistical benchmarks.
“I said to a bunch of people yesterday, talking about this series, I said, ‘Yeah, the Thunder are one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history.’ That’s just the reality.”
The Lakers and Thunder split elite regular-season records, with Oklahoma City finishing 64-18 and Los Angeles at 53-29. Game 1 now opens a series shaped heavily by ball security, defensive pressure, and half-court execution.
