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As LeBron James walked out of the Lakers‘ locker room wearing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt after Game 2 of his team’s first-round playoff series against Minnesota on Tuesday, a staff member lightly teased him that he was dressed more casually than usual.
James laughed.
Then he joked that he had anticipated he was going to be exhausted, so he needed to dress comfortably.
James was well-aware that in order to bounce back from the Lakers’ 0-1 deficit, he was going to need to pour every ounce of his energy into combating the Timberwolves‘ front line of the 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert, 6-9 Jaden McDaniels and 6-9 Julius Randle, helping an LA team that was outmatched in size and strength not be outmatched in physicality.
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The Lakers responded to their 22-point drubbing in Game 1 by leading by as many as 22 points in Game 2 en route to a 94-85 win, tying the series at 1-1. They came prepared for this rock fight, after previously showing up with just sand in their fists.
If you looked closely, there were signs things would be different.
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Before Game 1, Lakers coach JJ Redick was uncharacteristically stiff and serious as he spoke to the media. Before Game 2, he was relaxed.
Before Game 1, Redick lamented not using the team’s week off to scrimmage more. Before Game 2, the Lakers had a bruising practice. Said Redick: “Best practice we’ve had in months. Added James: “One of the best practices we’ve had all year.”
Lastly, James, gave us a peek into his thinking before Game 2, releasing the latest episode of his podcast, “Mind the Game.” He called the playoffs a drug, alluding to the intoxicating joy that comes from playing for a team he believes has a chance of winning.
You think a guy who took 10 teams to the NBA Finals, winning four championships, was going to let his team go down 0-2 at home with the chance for a fifth ring on the line?
Things were different from tip-off.
The Lakers weren’t stunned by the bumping and jostling of the Timberwolves’ big men. Instead, they were the aggressors. They were initiating contact. They were frustrating Anthony Edwards and co. They were swarming. The teams combined for 46 personal fouls during the time of year when referees are hesitant to blow their whistles.
“It doesn’t matter if you lose by 100 or you lose by 1,” said James, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. “They both hurt. You can’t sleep. So, it’s about how you stay even-keel and how you make the adjustments.”
This time, the Lakers locked in defensively, holding the Timberwolves to only 5-for-25 shooting from beyond the arc, following allowing Minnesota to set a franchise postseason record by going 21-for-42 from the 3-point line in Game 1.
This time, they hustled back on defense, holding the Timberwolves to just six fast-break points after Minnesota blasted for 25 fast-break points in their series debut.
This time, they boxed out, outrebounding the Timberwolves 41-34 after Minnesota got the best of them on the boards in the opener, 44-38.
For Reaves and the rest of the Lakers, Game 2 was personal.
“I think it just goes back to the other night when we basically got punked,” said Reaves, who had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. “Call a spade a spade. They come in here, Game 1, and punked us. You could tell from the energy in the locker room after the game that nobody was worried about what we have. We just had to go out there and compete every single possession.”
For the Lakers, everyone tried to do their part to make sure this game didn’t get away from them, which would’ve undoubtedly put their season on life support.
Rui Hachimura didn’t back down after getting hit in the face in the first quarter. He returned with a face mask and continued to mix things up on both ends of the court. “He played like a warrior tonight,” Redick said.
Redick didn’t hesitate to be the bad guy when the Lakers’ lead was cut to 11 points with 7:40 left in the third quarter. He called a timeout and laid into his team.
“What the f— is going on?” Redick could be heard saying on the TNT broadcast. “What the f— are you guys doing? Come on!”
It snapped the Lakers out of their momentary fog.
“That’s JJ,” James said. “At this point, for us, obviously, we need to listen to the message and not how he’s delivering it. For me, my high school coach my freshman year was kinda the same way. He would spaz out on us. You have to be able to understand it’s not about how he’s saying it, it’s about what he’s saying. I thought we responded after that.”
And James didn’t blink an eye when the Lakers’ lead was cut to nine points in the fourth quarter. Instead, he stole the ball from Edwards with 2:40 left and made a running layup, sealing the Lakers’ win.
“He made a winning play,” Luka Doncic said.
As for Doncic, he continued to show why he shines in the postseason, finishing with a game-high 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists after having a game-high 37 points and eight rebounds in Game 1.
The difference this time around was Doncic had some help.
After Game 1, pundits wondered if the Lakers were too outmatched by the Timberwolves’ size to compete in this series.
In Game 2, the Lakers quieted that narrative.
For James, it took a huge amount of effort. But he came prepared for the occasion, both mentally, physically and with the proper attire.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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