Redick s stubbornness: The scoring drought in the last quarter has nothing to do with the starting lineup playing for the full half. Zhan Dong missed the key layup

Redick admitted that the Lakers' poor performance in the first round of the playoffs against the Timberwolves has become the "normal" in the final quarter, which is the main reason why the Lakers are currently lagging behind 1-3 in a big score.

However, Redick insists that the loss in the fourth game cannot be attributed to his rotation arrangement. In this game, the Lakers made 5 of 18 shots in the final quarter, scoring only 19 points, including 3 of 9 shots in the last 5 minutes. In that game, Redick did not make any substitutions in the second half, and the five-player played all 24 minutes. Since the substitution statistics were included in 1998, Redick has become the first coach to use the same five-man lineup throughout the playoff half.

"Two of the best players in our team missed layups at the basket," Redick said after today's training. "I don't think they didn't make it because of fatigue." Redick refers to LeBron James, who made 0 of 2 shots in the final quarter, including one layup missed; and Luca Doncic, who made 12 of 22 shots in the first three quarters, scored 31 points, but made 1 of 6 shots in the final quarter, scoring only 7 points.

At the half-time break in Game 4, Redick decided to play in the small ball lineup and replaced center Hayes with forward Dorian Finney Smith.

Finney Smith, together with Lakers' regular starters James, Doncic, Austin Reeves and Hachimura, scored a 14-0 climax in the third quarter, winning 13 points 36-23 in a single quarter.

Doncic said that the Lakers' performance in the third quarter of the away game was the template they had to follow in the 48 minutes of Game 5.

"Looking only at the third quarter, and how we pass and play actively, it gives me confidence in the next game," Doncic said.

When asked whether he would use the five-man lineup at the end of Game 4 in Game 5, Redick said: "To be determined."

Redick said he had communicated his decision with the players on the team.

"I talked to all the players who might play in the second half yesterday," Redick said. "They all understand my decision and have no objection."

Redick pointed out that poor performance in the final quarter was a recurring problem, and this statement is correct. In this series, the Lakers scored only 69 points in the final quarter, while the opponent scored 105 points, with a total of 78 shots (32.1% shooting).

The Lakers will play G5 with the Timberwolves on May 1, and the Lakers have no way out.

"You have to play with your determination to fight back," Redick said. "You can't change what has happened, nor can you complain."

Doncic added when talking about the current situation of the Lakers: "We must definitely play this game as a tiebreak. If you lose, go home. In any case, we can't think about the future. So we have to focus on this game and then make a long-term plan."