It's convenient to blame JJ Redick for Game 4 loss

JJ Redick on Sunday became the first head coach in NBA history to play all five players for an entire half in the playoffs. 

The rookie head coach refused to sub out LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura — his five best players — in the second half of the Lakers' 116-113 loss to the Timberwolves, which put the Lakers in a 3-1 hole.

Redick was lambasted for his controversial coaching call, with TNT's Charles Barkley and ESPN's Kendrick Perkins citing fatigue as the biggest reason for the Lakers' loss.

"I blame this Game 4 [loss] on JJ Redick," Perkins said. "Playing five guys for 24 straight minutes is unacceptable, especially a 40-year-old LeBron James...You can tell he was tired in the fourth quarter...Completely unacceptable, a rookie mistake by JJ Redick. He's the reason the Lakers lost Game 4." 

LeBron-Luka fourth quarter no show

Both James and Doncic endured horrid fourth quarters. While James went scoreless and committed a turnover, Doncic shot 1-of-6 and made a few careless plays, especially a late inbound pass that led to a transition bucket. Barkley felt both stars were gassed in the business end of the game due to Redick's refusal to give them a breather.

"You've got to give guys a rest," Barkley stressed. "There's physical fatigue, there's mental fatigue...Luka missed a layup, LeBron missed a layup, and they both had a couple of turnovers [in the fourth quarter]. That's fatigue."

Redick trusted his bench a lot more earlier in the series, with Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jordan Goodwin playing double-digit minutes in two of the first three games. In fact, Vincent made two huge threes in the Lakers' Game 2 victory and seemed poised to remain a key cog in his team's rotation.

It's unfair to blame Redick, who was essentially fighting for his playoff life on Sunday and trusted his gut. After the game, he confirmed that the strategy of ignoring the bench in the second half "was not planned" and the decision was made at halftime with all five players on board. 

Redick has done a tremendous job all season, with his sharp in-game adjustments and ability to get the most out of role players. If not for his coaching, the Lakers wouldn't have secured the third seed after spending two years in play-in purgatory under Darvin Ham. Under Redick, the likes of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura reached new heights after it seemed they had hit their ceilings previously.  

The rookie head coach squeezed out every bit of juice he could with a flawed roster sans a true center and elite perimeter defenders. Even if the Lakers' season ends on Wednesday, he has every reason to be proud of the job he's done. 

Now, the onus is on the Lakers' front office to fill roster gaps this offseason so Redick is more equipped to deal with physical teams like the Timberwolves in next year's postseason.