There is an old axiom in the NBA that the hardest game to win in a playoff series is the fourth game that ends that series. That is especially true when a team is up 3-0 or 3-1, as it is human nature to take a sigh of relief and lose some of the edge that got that team to that point.
The Los Angeles Lakers experienced exactly that in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Their urgency simply wasn’t there, and they also seemed a bit fatigued, whether it was more physical or mental. Houston took advantage and built a sizable lead in the third quarter, allowing it to stave off elimination with a 115-96 victory.
Lakers coach JJ Redick commented on why it is so difficult to close out a team in the playoffs, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“Well, you have to kill them,” Redick said. “It’s difficult to kill someone. Survival instincts say, ‘I want to stay alive.’”
It isn’t exactly surprising that the Rockets came out like a pack of wounded animals in Game 4, and one has to assume that they will look to play the same way in Game 5, at least in the early minutes. Los Angeles has to match, if not exceed, that type of urgency in order to win and end this series before the Rockets start to believe that they will come back to win the series.
Game 5 will take place on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. If necessary, Game 6 will be this Friday and Game 7 will tip off on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick on why it is so difficult to win close-out games
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
