The third place in the West fell, how did the Lakers lose, the gap between the changes in the formation is bigger, and we need to strengthen the offseason

The fifth game between the Lakers and the Timberwolves has been completed. In this game, we have also seen that despite the counterattack, the Lakers still lost the game. From the Lakers' perspective, after losing this game, it means that it is officially eliminated, and the season is over, and it can enter the offseason, and this year it falls in the first round again. The third place in the Western Conference fell, how did the Lakers lose? The loopholes in changing the lineup are even bigger, and they need to strengthen them in the offseason.

As the third team in the Western Conference, the Lakers should have the advantage, but after the entire series, the Lakers had no room to fight back, especially the series entered the last few games. In Game 5, the Lakers also did not avoid losing. The Lakers, the third in the West, fell down with a bang, and the Timberwolves also completed the following draw. For the Lakers, although this season is over, they have Doncic, and having Doncic means having a future.

So how did the Lakers lose in this game? First, the loopholes are even bigger after the array change. In this game, the Lakers chose to change the lineup and directly abandoned Hayes. As a result, we all saw that the loopholes were even bigger. Although Hayes was a fake starter before, he could at least stand it for a while. In this game, the electric fan started, but was sent off for 6 fouls, which also became the turning point of the game because the Lakers' small lineup had no room to operate.

Second, the defensive strategy is imbalanced. In this game, the Lakers were obviously frightened and were too afraid of Edwards' performance. As a result, they accumulated all defensive resources on Edwards' side, and instead missed the Timberwolves' inside line Randall and Gobert, especially Gobert. Gobert even scored 27 points and 24 rebounds alone, playing the best game in this round of the series. With Gobert performing like this, it is difficult for the Timberwolves to lose, and the game will be smooth.

Third, James is powerless. James is really old, and this game is even more exhausted. James scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, but he couldn't play in the game, and his influence fell to the lowest point of his career. When James can't play, the rest of the Lakers' positions are more likely to be targeted. In addition, Reeves, the third giant in the Lakers, did not perform much, and this game has become a drag.

Fourth, the lineup is targeted infinitely. In this round of series, the lineup has always been targeted, and the inside gap is too big. In this game, the Timberwolves scored 54 rebounds, including 18 of them. The increase in frontcourt rebounds will inevitably give the team more room for trial and error. In short, after this round of playoffs, the Lakers will strengthen this offseason. If they cannot introduce the inside, they will take the old path again next season.