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Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick
Popular Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick had surprising historic praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of their upcoming first round series. Redick used stats to compare the Thunder’s dominance to the late 1990s Chicago Bulls and late 2010s Golden State Warriors among the all-time great teams. Oklahoma City ended their second straight regular season as the best team in the league and third straight season as the top West team.
Redick said the following to the media about why he respects the Thunder’s greatness:
“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, the ’96-’97 Bulls and the ’15-’17 Warriors.
You’re literally talking about two of the greatest teams of all time. I said to a bunch of people yesterday, off-site, talking about this series, to me, the Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history. It’s just the reality. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that, and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.”
Oklahoma City’s net rating was historically great this season and completely followed last year’s epic run as the top team who became NBA Champions. The Lakers are the strong underdogs entering this series, and Redick is not shying away from his competitor’s greatness.
Should The Thunder Be Compared To Greatest Teams?
Both the Bulls from 1996 to 1998 and the Warriors from 2015 to 2017 were named by Redick when putting the Thunder’s greatness into perspective. Most NBA pundits would list those two runs first when naming the best three-year tenures by any NBA franchise ever.
However, another NBA Championship is ultimately needed for Oklahoma City to truly enter that conversation to last many years. Chicago won three consecutive NBA Championships behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s greatness.
The Warriors won two rings in those three years with Stephen Curry on the roster all three seasons and Kevin Durant joining a 73-win roster for the last year. Golden State fell one game short of the threepeat when losing the epic 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. At least one more ring is needed for Oklahoma City to enter this debate.
How JJ Redick Might Be Playing Mind Games
Firstly, Redick clearly means what he said about Oklahoma City deserving respect. The years that Redick spent in the media before becoming the Lakers coach saw him believing it was important to credit the teams and players doing incredible things today.
However, Redick has been so complimentary to the Thunder that it would appear he likes the current underdog dynamic for the Lakers. Most playoff series see the Lakers having the pressure on them to win due to their bigger fan base and intense media coverage.
Luka Doncic missing at least the first few games of the series, and an older LeBron James being forced to lead the roster makes it harder to see them beat Oklahoma City four out of seven times. Redick talking up the Thunder’s historical greatness gives the Lakers house money to compete in a series no one expects them to have a chance in.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford