LeBron James speaks after the Los Angeles Lakers lose game one to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in game one, 108-90.
The Lakers entered the series as heavy underdogs given that the Thunder are the defending champions and the top seed in the West while the Lakers are without MVP candidate Luka Doncic.
The Thunder took the lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, though the Lakers kept it close throughout.
In the end, the Thunder pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 23-19 in the third quarter and 24-18 in the fourth quarter, after the Lakers put up 26 and 27 points in the first two quarters, respectively.
Offensive Problems
Scoring 90 points probably won't lead to many victories for the Lakers against the Thunder. The Lakers have struggled on offense all playoffs, with the worst-ranked offense in the playoffs among teams remaining.
They did have to play the Houston Rockets in the first round, who finish the season with the the sixth best defense. Now they're facing the Thunder, who were the best defense in the league by 2.4 points in terms of defensive rating.
Speaking after the game, LeBron James was asked about the issues on offense.
"Where are the issues coming from? We have a guy who averaged 37 a game...what are you asking? The issue is right there," LeBron said, referencing the absence of Luka Doncic, who averaged 35.8 points in the regular season.
LeBron continued, "We're playing against the number one defensive team in the NBA. When you play against a great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times. I felt like we got some great shots tonight. We missed them. When you play against the world champions, having a guy that averages 34 (points), six (rebounds), and eight (assists), that's special."
LeBron said that the team has to find a better way to get OKC "into a blender" on defense and get into the paint. He also said that they can't turn the ball over and have to shoot with confidence.
What Can Be Fixed?
The Lakers shot 41% from the field and 33% from three. They did have 40 points in the paint, only eight less than the Thunder. They turned the ball over 17 times, but forced 14 turnovers of their own.
The struggles of Austin Reaves can't be overlooked as he shot 3-16 including 0-5 from three. Without Luka, more pressure is on Reaves as a primary ballhandler as opposed to a secondary ballhandler.
In game one, as he continues to work his way back into rhythm after playing just three games since April 2, he didn't handle that pressure well. Marcus Smart also has to be better as a secondary scorer as he went 4-15 fro the field and 2-8 from three.
LeBron did his part, finishing with 27 points and six assists on 12-17 shooting, but others will need to step up.