Redick and the Lakers know they are massive underdogs heading into the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Los Angeles Lakers are about to walk into the toughest matchup in the NBA, and JJ Redick knows it.
At practice on Sunday, the Lakers' head coach did not bother dressing up what his team is facing in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"The Thunder are one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history," Redick said. "That's just the reality. Our guys recognize that and respect that."
There is not much to push back on there.
Oklahoma City finished the regular season 64-18, the best record in basketball and the best by any team since the Thunder themselves went 68-14 last year on their way to a title.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on 55.3 percent shooting, and he is a strong favorite to win his second straight MVP.
The Thunder's defense was the best in the league too, posting a 107.7 defensive rating, and their roster depth runs ten players deep without a noticeable drop-off.
The Regular Season Was Not Kind
The season series was ugly.
Oklahoma City swept all four meetings by an average of 29.3 points per game, the biggest margin between any two conference opponents this season.
But those games do not tell the whole story.
LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves only played together in one of those matchups, and injuries to Doncic and Reaves in early April meant the Lakers were missing key pieces for the last two.
Doncic is still out with a strained left hamstring and nobody knows when he is coming back.
Reaves returned from an oblique strain during the first round and helped the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in six games.
James, meanwhile, carried that series.
He averaged 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists at 41 years old and was clearly the most impactful player on either side.
What Would Give the Lakers a Chance
The path to an upset is narrow, but it exists.
James has to stay in the gear he found against Houston, because the regular season version of him at 20.9 points per game across 60 games is not going to cut it against this team.
The Lakers also need their defense to be way better than it was most of the year, especially against Gilgeous-Alexander, who put up 33.8 points per game on 55.1 percent shooting while sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
If Doncic can get back on the floor at some point in this series, it changes everything.
Even without him, the Lakers won a tough first-round series against a good Houston team.
Redick's group believes they belong here.
Whether that matters against a 64-win juggernaut is a different question, and Game 1 on Monday night in Oklahoma City will start to answer it.