The Los Angeles Lakers fell 110-115 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4, completing a 0-4 series sweep. It was LeBron James’ fourth career postseason sweep, and the Lakers lost by a combined 64 points across the four games. Game 4 was the closest margin of the series, which makes every missed opportunity hurt more. Here’s a breakdown of who deserves the most blame, based on the numbers.
The first and biggest blame goes to head coach JJ Redick, who made a puzzling substitution late in the fourth quarter. With the Thunder leading 113-110, Redick called a timeout to draw up a play. Then he did something nobody understood: he pulled Rui Hachimura, who was shooting 9-of-15 for 25 points (including 4-of-8 from three, with a series three-point percentage of 56%), and brought in Maxi Kleber, who averaged just 2 points per game in the regular season and had barely played in the series. The resulting play went to Austin Reaves for a three that missed. Fans on social media all asked the same question: What was Redick thinking?
The second blame falls on LeBron James. The 41-year-old put up 24 points and 12 rebounds, his best individual performance of the series. But with the game on the line, he made two critical mistakes. With 32.8 seconds left, the Lakers led 110-109. LeBron lost track of Chet Holmgren, who grabbed a rebound and dunked to put the Thunder ahead. On the Lakers’ next possession, LeBron drove hard to the rim but missed a layup that could have retaken the lead. On one possession, he failed on defense and then missed on offense. The numbers show his clutch shooting was the worst of the series. He’s the team leader earning $50 million a season, and those plays decided the game.
The third blame is DeAndre Ayton, who was virtually invisible. He went 3-for-3 for just 6 points, failing to contribute on offense. In the first half, he camped on the perimeter, handing the ball off to guards instead of going to the paint. In the second half, the Thunder’s Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein repeatedly attacked the rim, and Ayton struggled with defensive awareness and rebounding. He played like a minimum-salary big man — except that minimum-salary big men at least grab boards. Ayton is on a two-year, $16.2 million deal with the Lakers, so about $8.1 million per season. That’s not a max contract, but it’s still not good enough for an elimination game.
The fourth blame goes to Marcus Smart, who shot 2-of-8 for 5 points and contributed little on offense. Worse, he repeatedly flopped, trying to draw fouls with exaggerated falls that the referees ignored. Multiple times, the Thunder got 5-on-4 fast breaks while Smart was on the floor arguing. Defensively, he couldn’t contain the Thunder’s Donovan Mitchell, who scored 28 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. When your perimeter defensive anchor has a net negative plus-minus and can’t score, his presence hurts more than it helps.
The fifth blame is Austin Reaves, who scored 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting (3-of-7 from three) but committed 8 turnovers. Those turnovers directly led to easy Thunder transition points. In the third quarter, when the Thunder pulled away, at least two of those turnovers came on steals from behind. With 8 seconds left and the Lakers down by three, Reaves got the ball for a potential game-tying shot. He took it, missed, and the series ended. He also had a habit of complaining to officials after no-calls, failing to get back on defense. The Thunder capitalized on those moments. Reaves’ scoring was valuable, but not when it came at the cost of defense.
The sixth blame is Luke Kennard, who shot 2-of-5 for 5 points and went 1-of-4 from deep. After scoring 18 points in Game 3, he completely disappeared. His role was simple: catch and shoot. But he couldn’t hit threes, and on defense, he was repeatedly beaten off the dribble by Thunder guards. His defensive lapses cost more points than his offense generated. When the only pure shooter on the bench can’t make shots and is a liability on defense, the Lakers’ perimeter rotation crumbles.
To sum up, the blame for Game 4 goes in this order: Redick for the mind-boggling substitution, James for failing on the biggest plays, Ayton for disappearing, Smart for flopping instead of defending, Reaves for his turnovers and defensive lapses, and Kennard for not hitting threes. The Thunder showed all series that the Lakers simply lacked the talent to compete. This offseason, the Lakers need to rethink everything, from the coaching staff to the core roster, to figure out how to rebuild for next season.
