The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, culminating in a 103-96 loss last night that saw a Lakers postseason run end agonizingly short. After acquiring Luka Doncic in a blockbuster midseason trade, Los Angeles was considered a title contender. So what happened?
According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, the Timberwolves happened.
"Minnesota is what went wrong. Ant-Man is what went wrong. Rudy Gobert was what went wrong. Their defense collectively is what went wrong. And the Los Angeles Lakers... MIA, APB, whatever you wanna use for a whole bunch of Los Angeles Lakers... Minnesota's like 'we're younger, we're thoroughbreds and here we come.'"
Smith has a point, as the Lakers looked like the older, more tired team throughout the series. Could it have been first-year head coach JJ Reddick's tight rotations? Or their two superstars being a 40-year-old LeBron James and a questionably conditioned Doncic? Regardless, the Timberwolves were in the driver's seat for most of the first-round matchup.
Anthony Edwards, one of the best young players in the NBA, averaged 26.8 points per game in the series, leading Minnesota. Rudy Gobert had 8.2 points and 9.8 rebounds, including a whopping 27-point, 24-rebound performance in the pivotal Game 5, showcasing the Lakers' lack of size and rim protection.
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Julius Randle, the centerpiece of the Karl Anthony-Towns trade, also had a playoff resurgence. After two postseason runs with the New York Knicks, Randle was labeled a playoff liability as his production would drop significantly come April. However, in his first series with Minnesota, the former All-Star averaged 22.6 points per game on 48.1% shooting, chipping away at that narrative.
Stephen A. hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the Lakers/T-Wolves series, as Los Angeles was just not equipped to handle a team as young and hungry as Minnesota was. We'll see just how many other teams will be able to handle Ant-Man and the Timberwolves as they await their second-round matchup of either the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors.
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