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Through two games, the first-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves has been fairly physical. In Game 1, the Timberwolves were the only team that played with physicality, but the Lakers got physical in Game 2 and managed to tie the series with a 94-85 win.
The Lakers only scored 95 points in Game 1 when they lost by 22 points. Perhaps this series as a whole, like Game 2 was, will be a throwback to the dark days of the 1990s and 2000s when each NBA game was overly physical and slow-paced and plenty of teams averaged fewer than 100 points a game.
Head coach JJ Redick said afterward that his Lakers adjusted to what he and a reporter called a “rock fight” in Game 2 and that his team has the mentality that the rest of the series will take on that tone.
“We were physical,” Redick said. “The playoffs require a different level. Like I said pregame, it took us about two-and-a-half quarters in Game 1 to get to that level of physicality.”
“… I think you could sort of anticipate that, but we weren’t ready for a rock fight to start Game 1,” Redick added. “I’ve seen enough of these and been in enough of these that you can have these low-scoring games and sort of low offensive output games that are really physical, and then all of a sudden someone starts making 3s and there’s turnovers that leads to a high transition half and somebody scores 120. That’s just kind of how basketball works. Every game is a little different, but I think the mentality for both teams is to have the rock fight.”
Minnesota was sixth in defensive rating and 25th in pace in the regular season, so it will be difficult for either team to score at least 120 points in any game in this series. The next two games will take place at Target Center, and the Lakers have lost seven of their last eight games in that building, so they will have to buckle their seatbelts and get ready to rumble in order to take this series.
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