A Los Angeles Lakers Post-Mortem

Luka Doncic and LeBron James are on the brink of elimination. There's lots to unpack from the Game 4 that got them to that point.

I did not enjoy Game 4 of the first-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves for a number of reasons.

I’m desperate for Luka Doncic to win after the defamation job done against him amidst his shocking exit from Dallas. Series are also more fun at 2-2 than 3-1. But mainly, as someone who’s been a huge LeBron James fan since the day I started watching basketball, I really want him to make deep playoff runs. Especially when you can count on one hand the number of seasons he has left in the NBA. But it looks rather unlikely from here that his Lakers are making it out of the first round.

Now it goes without saying, but I’d be really dumb to count out James and Doncic. They could easily be UP 3-1 right now. The series isn’t over. But our discussion today is relevant regardless of whether they pull off the improbable, so let’s get into it.

Image: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

5-Man Rotation

Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James.

This group played every second of the second half for the Lakers. For a while, it worked. LA held a 7-point advantage with just over five minutes to go. But the stubbornness of that decision caught up with their rookie head coach.

Less than 48 hours removed from Game 3, with your best player recovering from an apparently awful stomach bug, the load was too heavy. Even James, the superhuman, looked tired as the fourth dragged on.

The decision was an interesting one from JJ Redick. The bench hadn’t exactly tanked the Lakers in their minutes. Jordan Goodwin, for example, was a +1 in his seven minutes in the first half. People have pointed to the much greater production from the Timberwolves’ bench across the series, but that’s partly because Chris Finch actually plays them.

Of course, Redick would’ve been branded a brave genius had they gotten this game over the line, which they really should have. But it was ultimately the wrong call. Jarred Vanderbilt’s defensive prowess should perhaps have been called upon, even just to give Doncic two minutes of rest. There’s enough ball-handling and offense between James and Reaves in such a scenario. You sympathise with Redick for wanting the five he trusted out there in a must-win game, but the zero-substitution second half was an unsuccessful gamble. It was also the first time it had ever happened, according to ESPN’s data of the play-by-play era. You might call it a rookie mistake by a rookie head coach.

Nevertheless, LeBron and Luka both downplayed the fatigue factor postgame. And their quotes lead me into our next talking point.

“This is the playoffs,” said Doncic. “Fatigue shouldn’t play any role in this… I think we just executed bad on the offensive end during the last minutes.”

James: “We had a couple opportunities. I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that. We just missed some point-blank shots.”

Unforgiving Fine Margins

This is far from a new discovery. Nor is it only ringing true in this series. We’ve seen it all across the bracket throughout this year’s first round. It’s this: the playoffs are unforgiving, and small mistakes get punished.

Here’s a simpler analysis of the game: LeBron James and Luka Doncic each blew a layup in the final five minutes. That doesn’t usually happen, and LA likely wins if even one of them had gone in.

But that’s the playoffs. It’s hard to overcome such things. The referees using never-before-seen camera angles to identify petty fouls that send Anthony Edwards to the free throw line in a one-point game with ten seconds left, that doesn’t help.

But how’s this: It’s especially unhelpful when Julius Randle, a career 33% 3-point shooter, is shooting 56% in the series. Jaden McDaniels almost doubling his PPG from his regular-season average isn’t going to help either. I had a good friend call it the “Lakers tax” when we spoke last night. Whatever you want to call it, there’s an amalgamation of unfavourable things happening to the Lakers in this series, many of which are out of their control. Don’t be surprised if Naz Reid, who couldn’t miss a shot in Game 4, can’t make one in the next round.

Image: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

As for what is in the Lakers’ control, they didn’t manage those things very well either. The aforementioned smoked layups. Multiple late/non-existent defensive rotations. Severe lack of rebounding (18 offensive boards given up in Game 4). Lack of self-created offense (zero free throws attempted by anyone outside James or Doncic), something they’ve desperately needed, particularly from Austin Reaves.

Many have been saying this since the moment Doncic was acquired, but the Lakers’ roster has glaring holes. Consequently, there’s not much room for error on either side of the ball.

Unprecedented Greatness

As upsetting as it is that these last two games have ended in defeat, LeBron James has put on a pair of spectacular performances in these road games.

Raw Numbers:

• game 3: 38pts, 10reb, 4ast, 2blk, 2stl, 75% TS

• game 4: 27pts, 12reb, 8ast, 3blk, 3stl, 80% TS

• 40. years. old.

There’s been the usual brilliance offensively, but his defense has been uniquely special.

Anthony Edwards scored 43 points last night. He’s scored just 3 times all series when guarded by LeBron James.

At many times down the stretch, it felt like the Timberwolves were hunting any and every Laker defender under the age of 40. James, somehow still doing this, was locking down every matchup he took on despite having played almost the whole game. I know the acquisition of Doncic was supposed to make his life easier, but it’s LeBron himself who often still takes on the heavier responsibilities.

Image: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

His huge workload, which is necessary for the Lakers to have a chance to win, feels like malpractice on the part of the team at this stage of James’ career. He should be able to facilitate, distribute, pick his spots to score and guard the third or fourth options on the other team in 35 minutes a night. Instead, he still has to do it all. The fact that he can is a testament to his sustained greatness that we’ve not only never seen before, but will likely never see again. But it’s a shame it remains a prerequisite for the team to have success.

What Next?

Ideally, the Lakers will win three straight games. But in the likelier outcome in which their season ends, a big offseason looms. James and Doncic are a special pair; maybe the smartest, most uniquely talented all-around duo in NBA history. Ensuring they’re given the resources to win in the short time they’ll have together is paramount for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office.

As for year one of their pairing, it's a game away from being over as the series heads back to Los Angeles.