JJ Redick was emotional after the loss.
There's always a lot to think about when it a season comes to an end, especially when it ends the way that it did for the Los Angeles Lakers, who suffered a four-game sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
For JJ Redick, who is still fairly new to the world of head coaching as he's just in his second season as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, he's looking back on the experience of this season with gratitude and appreciation.
"I think when the season ends there's always I would say a whirlwind of emotions. Certainly a feeling of sense of gratitude for our players, the Lakers, our fanbase," Redick said (via The Sporting Tribune). "Really liked that you've seen these 3-0 games before and I thought... our team could have gave in... We didn't."
What Could Have Been
This was a season full of promise for the Lakers. They got off to a whirlwind start a the beginning of the season, bolstered by a MVP-level performance by Luka Doncic, and for a while it looked like it was a new era of Lakers basketball.
Their meteoric start eventually cooled off and there were periods of difficulty and losing streaks as well, but overall it was a mostly triumphant season, especially with the way that the Lakers overcame the losses of both Austin Reaves and Doncic to injury.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick watches game action against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesThat all culminated in their series against the Thunder. It was going to be a difficult task regardless, but the Lakers showed fight and even in the final seconds of the game, the Lakers held a potential victory in their grasp before it finally slipped away to a 6-0 run by Oklahoma City to close out the game.
The series ended in Los Angeles and with ticket prices dropping to some of the lowest they'd been all season, the stands of Crypto.com Arena were packed with Lakers' faithful that, even if they saw the season end, were full of passion to the very end.
Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick reacts during the first half against the Houston Rockets during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesLooking Ahead
Having that kind of passion in the stands is what makes these kind of playoff games, even if they ended in disappointment, that much more meaningful, especially for the kind of historic franchise that the Lakers are.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (left) and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick watch against the Houston Rockets in the first half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesThere's a lot to reflect on in regard to what transpired this season for the Lakers, but fir now the emotions of the loss are still fresh in the Lakers' mind, particularly for Redick.
Redick has always accomplished a lot in his two seasons with the Lakers, but there is still more work to be done.