The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the brink of elimination in the 2025 NBA Playoffs after squandering a 12-point lead in the second half of Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley aren’t holding out much hope for the Los Angeles Lakers to recover from a 3-1 deficit in their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers had high hopes for a deep run in the 2025 NBA Playoffs after teaming LeBron James with Luka Doncic, following a surprise trade with the Dallas Mavericks at the February deadline. LA ended the regular season with a 50-32 record, securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and setting up an enticing first-round showdown with the No. 6 Timberwolves.
However, the Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards, have outperformed James and his teammates, snatching home court advantage in Game 1 before pushing the Lakers to the edge of elimination with consecutive home wins. The lack of depth in the LA squad was laid bare in Game 4 when head coach JJ Redick chose to play his starters for the entire second half – only for his team to squander a 12-point lead and suffer a devastating 116-113 defeat.
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As the Lakers attempt to prolong the series on their home turf on Wednesday night, O’Neal delivered a harsh critique of the team’s performance on TNT’s pregame show. Shaq refused to attribute LA’s Game 4 downfall to fatigue due to Redick’s decision not to utilise his bench players.
“No, but what is a factor is they don’t have any dogs on their team,” the 2000 NBA MVP remarked regarding James and Doncic’s teammates. “I mean, you’ve got two of the greatest players on the team, but where are the dogs at?”I don’t see a lot of fight, I don’t see a lot of grit.
“So, you know, when you have players like that, the others should want to be dogs and want to do certain things.”
O’Neal reminisced about the fierce role players like Rick Fox, Robert Horry, and Brian Shaw who played pivotal roles in the success of his and Kobe Bryant’s Lakers during their legendary 2000-03 three-peat.
“I don’t see any dogs on that team,” Shaq repeated, criticizing the current lineup of LA’s squad. “So, might as well pack up and get ready for next year. That’s my opinion.”
Barkley somewhat concurred with his TNT co-host. “I don’t think they’re a good team,” he stated. However, unlike Shaq, Chuck attributed some of the blame to Redick’s mismanagement of the Lakers bench, which he believes contributed to the team’s struggles.
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To support his argument, Barkley cited the backlash New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has received for his tendency to run extremely tight rotations, especially during the playoffs. “Listen, you don’t play a 40-year-old man [James]… They miss layups. And he’s defensive. I understand that,” the Phoenix Suns icon expressed.
“I’ll tell you what’s funny. If Tom Thibodeau did that, they’d run him out of New York. “They’re like, ‘Wait a minute, Tom. Why don’t you play your guys?’ Listen, man, this guy is 40 years old.
“He’s one of the best to ever do it. He missed a layup. Luka missed a layup. I think it’s because they’re tired.
“But, you know, hey, listen. JJ is going to try to defend his decision. I understand that. That’s what everybody – nobody wants to be criticized. But I don’t think you play guys the whole… Come on, man. Give me a five-minute break. Especially coming down the stretch.”
With Redick choosing not to use any substitutes in Game 4, the Lakers became the first team to stick with the same five-man lineup for an entire half in a playoff game since 1998. Interestingly, James didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves fought back to win.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
