Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick said on May 4 that the Oklahoma City Thunder are among the greatest teams ever in NBA history, as his team prepares to face them in the next round of the playoffs.
The matchup is significant because Oklahoma City is widely considered a major favorite to repeat as champions. The Lakers, coming off a hard-fought series win against the Houston Rockets, now face what Redick described as a nearly impossible task.
Redick said after Sunday’s practice, “Each individual guy has had some level of playoff adversity and had to build a scar tissue or confidence and the ability to work through that. I think each group has to do that. It was a hard fought series against Houston. I think every level you go up in the playoffs it gets harder. That’s just the reality. We’ve talked the last three weeks about elevating, we have to elevate even more.”
He also compared Oklahoma City’s recent success with some of basketball’s most legendary teams: “We saw a stat in our morning meeting this morning of teams that have had back-to-back, or even more than that 10 or more better net ratings in consecutive seasons. You’re talking about the 95-96 Bulls, the 96-97 Bulls and then the 15-17 Warriors. You’re literally talking about two of the greatest teams of all-time. I said to a bunch of people yesterday off-site that were talking about this series to me I said, ‘The Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history.’ That’s just the reality. They are. They’re that good. I think our guys recognize that and respect that and we know what kind of task we have in front of us.”
Oklahoma City enters this round led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after sweeping their first-round opponent, while Los Angeles overcame injuries during their own playoff run.
Redick concluded by praising his players’ resilience throughout challenges faced during both regular season and playoffs: “The Lakers had several ups and downs throughout the 2025-26 season, but still found ways to come out on top.”