JJ Redick Got Super Defensive And Stormed Out Of His Pregame Press Conference After He Was Asked About Not Making Any Substitutions

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Yikes. Well that was awkward. Why so defensive JJ? It's a perfectly normal question to ask why the hell you decided to play all your starters 24 straight minutes in the second half only to see them run out of gas down the stretch and fall into a brutal 3-1 hole. Given the fact that it's never happened before in NBA history, I don't really consider that an outlandish question to ask.

Admittedly, I'm a JJ Redick guy. I said it since the day he was hired, I loved the move even if I despise the Lakers with every fiber of my being. JJ is a follower of Mazzulla Ball and all that it teaches, so I've always liked him. Honestly, having watched that clip, it really reminded me of Year 1 Joe Mazzulla. Super combative with the media, very defensive in his answers, stuff like that. You almost overcompensate because of your inexperience. You notice how that's the first thing JJ brought up? Joe used to do the same thing at times when he was put under the fire.

Granted, Psycho Joe never did anything quite as crazy as never subbing out your old and out of shape roster for an entire half of a playoff game. So much of this time of year comes down to trust. Players trusting each other, everyone trusting the coach and the collective process of winning. If you don't have that trust, you won't win. So is it fair to suggest that maybe JJ doesn't trust the rest of his roster, and that's why he made that decision? That's the narrative he has to fight against, which is why he was pretty defensive in that clip. 

Had it worked? My guess is that JJ would have been a little friendlier in that moment. But this is the pressure of being a head coach. When shit goes south as a result of a pretty insane decision by the coaching staff, people can't just pretend it didn't happen. You're going to be asked about it. Say whatever you want, lie, spinzone it, there are plenty of things you can do in that spot. Acting defensive like that, bringing up your inexperience, it shows a certain level of insecurity, which is strange for JJ to have because he is not someone who I would say does not know ball. He's absolutely a ball knower. My guess is that in Year 2 JJ won't have that same level of insecurity, just like Joe Mazzulla was able to overcome it in his Year 2 (as long as you win).

All I know is if JJ thinks this is bad, just wait to see what happens if the Lakers lose (again) in the 1st round. Remember, people talked about the Lakers as a Finals team/title contender once they traded for Luka. Getting bounced in 5 in the first round is a pretty big gap from making or winning the Finals. You can do that shit in some franchises and nobody will care. Like, do you think people are raging at Coach Spo right now? No. But the Lakers and JJ? You'd better at least force this series to a Game 6

Full disclosure: Just kidding. I personally hope the Lakers lose Game 5 by a billion. Fuck em.