Game 2 of the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves NBA playoff series was not a referendum on Lakers coach JJ Redick.
A loss would not have been any indicator of Redick’s future success as an NBA coach.
But another home loss and a 2-0 series deficit with Games 3 and 4 in Minneapolis would have ratcheted the pressure on the first-time NBA coach.
That’s the way the playoffs work. Redick knows that, and he avoided that scenario as the Lakers won Game 2, 94-85, and evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1.