Earlier this month, JJ Redick was faced with the toughest task of his professional coaching career.
He had to convince a Lakers team without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to believe in themselves.
The Lakers odds to win their first-round series against the Rockets? Laughable. The discourse from pundits on national television? LA was dead in the water.
There was not much the 41-year-old second-year coach could say.
He tried to spout analogies about holding the rope. He used buzzwords, such as making up for their 60-point hole “by committee.” He talked about the “next man up” mentality.
But following three straight losses after the Lakers’ top two scorers suffered their injuries on April 2, LA finally won a game against the Warriors on April 9. It wasn’t anything to write home about. Golden State was without Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry.
“I told the guys before the game, when we met right before they went out for warm-ups, that tonight was a spirit game for all of us,” Redick said after the Lakers’ 119-103 victory. “You know, to have the right spirit, to be all in, and I thought we did that. And I would say I’m not surprised because we have been on hikes all season long, gotten lost in the woods and nobody thinks we’re going to be rescued. And we find a path and we get back to the meadow and find civilization, and we’re going to be okay.
“That’s what our group is. I think we’ve all just embraced that, and we just have to find it now with this group. And tonight was a step in finding that path with this group.”
It seemed like another desperate attempt to pump hope into a despondent team. It was corny. It was almost silly.
But nearly three weeks later, it has taken on a completely different meaning.
Redick has somehow accomplished the impossible. The Lakers truly believe in themselves. They have a 3-1 series lead over the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. This depleted group is one win away from advancing to Western Conference semifinals.
Now Redick’s resolve comes across as prophetic instead of empty. His words come across as inspirational instead of hokey.
From top to bottom, the Lakers have come together in a way no one expected.
The 41-year-old LeBron James went from being the team’s third option to reverting into superstar-mode in the first three games of the series.
In Game 1, he had 19 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists and two steals. In Game 2, he had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. In Game 3, he had 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals while playing 45 minutes in the team’s 112-108 overtime win.
Then there’s Luke Kennard, who transformed from being a 3-point specialist into a playmaking/shooting sensation, leaving everyone watching him to wonder if he had been misused his entire career.
Oh, and Marcus Smart went from being nearly out of the league to looking like a Defensive Player of the Year once again.
Everyone is doing their part. Everyone dug deep and unleashed something deep within themselves that the world thought didn’t exist.
Redick has maintained belief in this team all season.
When the Big 3 was a disjointed mess, Redick insisted they’d figure things out. They went on to become a force, leading the team to a 16-2 run this spring.
And when the Lakers lost Doncic and Reaves, Redick refused to believe things were over.
His mission became identifying the nine guys who were willing to fight. He pulled Smart aside and told him he needed help infusing the team with belief. Smart responded by disseminating a seed of hope in the locker room as though it were a highly contagious virus.
The goal was to buy time until Doncic and Reaves could return. If James and a group of role players could just carry the Lakers for a little while, the cavalry would be coming.
Now Reaves is a game-time decision for Game 5. And Doncic is in the process of ramping up his on-court activities.
And now the Lakers are nearly through the woods.
After a grueling journey, they can finally see daylight.
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