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Truth hurts … Lakers can’t hang with Thunder: ‘Boom’
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- Truth hurts … Lakers can’t hang with Thunder: ‘Boom’
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lakers are aware of the daunting task in front of them: defeat the reigning champion Thunder in their own building without LA’s best player on the court.
On Tuesday in Game 1 at Paycom Arena, the Lakers seemingly had a golden opportunity to steal at least one game in this series.
Lakers had their opportunities to steal Game 1 of the WC semifinals, but self-inflicted wounds and poor shooting proved fatal in the end. AP
They jumped to an early lead. They held reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under 20 points for the first time in almost a year. They were winning the turnover battle midway through the third quarter.
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The Lakers were measured, tested, and through it all they revealed the truth about themselves.
They cannot hang with the Thunder.
The 108–90 final score doesn’t even tell the full story.
It was the Lakers’ sixth straight loss against OKC over the past two seasons. The average margin of victory fell to 27 points. That’s a large gap between these teams, and Game 1 might have been the best we’ve seen the Lakers play against them all season.
The formula for LA was always clear.
In order to beat the champs, the Lakers had to play near-perfect basketball. That meant protecting the ball, winning the possession game and shooting the 3 at a high level while holding OKC under its average.
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The Lakers failed on all counts .
Los Angeles held reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check, but it was OKC’s role players who made the difference in the end. NBAE via Getty Images
For one quarter, they teased the idea that they could hang with OKC.
They limited their turnovers. They were composed. They executed their game plan of doubling SGA when he crossed half-court leaving Lu Dort open to shoot 3s.
With 1:44 remaining in the first quarter they led 24-22. LeBron James was once again playing sensational basketball. He went to the bench for a quick rest.
To beat elite teams, you can’t just win in fragments. You win with sustained discipline. That means when star players head to the bench there cannot be a dropoff.
By the time James returned just over a minute into the second quarter, the Thunder had gone on a 14-2 run and opened up a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.
In the second half, as the Lakers tried to claw back into the game, I was reminded of Greek mythology and the story of Sisyphus. The gods forced him to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down the hill every time he neared the top.
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That was the Lakers for the remaining three quarters.
Every time the Lakers got close, reality came. Compounding turnovers. Errant passes. Hesitation where there needed to be conviction. Wide-open shots missed so badly they might as well have been shooting them with a blindfold on.
“We had gameplan breakdowns,” admitted James. “It can be a two-possession game and then boom, they go on a run and have a double-digit lead. That’s what great teams do.”
The Lakers committed ten turnovers in the second half. They also didn’t shoot well from 3. They hovered around 30% for the game.
In just his third game back since missing a month with a Grade 2 oblique strain, Austin Reaves struggled mightily from the floor. NBAE via Getty Images
Austin Reaves , who has been a lifeline for this team, delivered one of the worst playoff performances by a Laker in decades: 3-for-16 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3.
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According to ESPN Insights, his 18.8% shooting was the lowest by any Laker in a postseason game (minimum 15 attempts) in 35 years.
“I got to my spots multiple times and I missed easy shots,” Reaves admitted.
On the other side, OKC shot 43.3% from deep, well above its season average. They made three more, which doesn’t sound like much until you realize how razor thin the Lakers’ margin really is. That’s nine points.
“You’re playing the world champs. Your margin for error is not that high,” Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said postgame. “There was just too many tonight.”
Those 17 Lakers turnovers translated into into 21-second-chance points for the Thunder. Ten more than the Lakers. Combine that with the three-point differential and that’s your margin of victory.
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“They’re a well-oiled machine,” said Redick.
And that’s exactly what the Thunder are. A machine. Built with interchangeable parts, relentless tempo, and defensive connectivity that feels almost predictive.
When SGA sits, there’s no dropoff. When Chet Holmgren or Lu Dort rest, the engine just keeps on humming.
And in that lies the difference between these two teams.
LeBron James finished with a game-high 27 points, adding six assists and four rebounds, in a complete effort but it wasn’t enough. NBAE via Getty Images
Even if the Lakers can keep up with the Thunder in spurts, James, Marcus Smart and the rest of the Lakers’ starters can’t play for 48 minutes straight. And when they rest, both the offense and defense fall off a cliff.
And here’s the difficult part for the Lakers and their fans to accept: That’s OK.
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Because this isn’t about effort. It’s not about coaching. It’s not about desire.
It’s just reality.
OKC is younger, deeper, faster and more versatile than the older, injured and undermanned Lakers. As much as it wants, LA simply can’t sustain near-perfection against this level of opponent.
So for the rest of this series, don’t be surprised if the Lakers continue to roll the boulder up the hill only to watch it roll back down every time it nears the top.
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