Magic Johnson Sends Strong Message To LeBron, Lakers Entering Game 2

Magic Johnson, arguably the greatest point guard in basketball history, is still thinking like a playmaker – and a coach.

It seemed as if Johnson was in the Lakers’ locker room after their 22-point loss at home to Minnesota Saturday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers legend tore into his former team about their lack of effort and execution. 

Johnson occasionally expressed similar concerns after a game when he coached the Lakers for the final 16 games of the 1993-94 regular season. The Lakers were 5-11 under Johnson and ended the season with a 10-game losing streak.

“The Lakers failed in two big categories in their loss against the Timberwolves,” Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “On the defensive end, they allowed the Timberwolves to shoot over 51 percent from the field and they didn’t respond to the physical play of the Timberwolves.”

Perimeter defense will be an obvious priority for the Lakers in Game 2 Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Timberwolves got a barrage of three-pointers from unlikely sources. Forwards Julius Randle, Naz Reed and Jaden  McDaniels were a combined 13 of 18 on three-pointers. McDaniels was 3 for 3 and Reed was 6 for 9 to finish with 23 points off the bench.

Johnson saw the same things as Lakers coach J.J. Redick, but Johnson’s critical comments appear to carry more weight. As a longtime fixture in the Lakers organization, people still tend to pay attention to what Johnson has to say.

Johnson was particularly upset with the Lakers offense. The Timberwolves’ bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 43-13. Reserves Dorian Finney-Smith, Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent and starter Rui Hachimura shot a combined 6 for 20, generating only 17 points.

“Last but not least, it was too much standing around on the Lakers offense and players watching the Lakers big three – Reeves, Doncic and James – go one-on-one,” Johnson wrote. “We need far more productivity from the bench.”

Sounds like Johnson is still very much in tune to what it takes to win a championship.

Ray Richardson is a contributor to Back In Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at RayRich55@gmail.com

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