JJ Redick already sounds like a coach managing expectations vs. OKC
Lakers' head coach handed Oklahoma City a heavy historical comparison
JJ Redick already sounds like a coach managing expectations vs. OKC originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Two days before the second-round series tips off in Oklahoma City , JJ Redick stood at a podium and effectively said the part that many coaches will not say. The Thunder are not just the favorite. They are, in his framing, on the short list of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Strange thing to hear from a head coach 24 hours from Game 1 "We saw a stat in our morning meeting, teams that have had back-to-back, 10 or more better net ratings in consecutive seasons, you're talking about the '95-'96 Bulls and '96-'97 Bulls and the '15-'17 Warriors . You're literally talking about two of the greatest teams of all time," Redick told reporters. The numbers aren't encouraging for Lakers fans.
Oklahoma City posted a +13. 1 net rating with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor this season, comfortably clearing the +10 threshold Redick referenced. The Lakers come in at +1.