If there was anyone who thought the Lakers’ matchup against the Wolves was going to be a walk in the park, Game 1 was a strong dose of reality.

Minnesota finished the regular season just one game behind Los Angeles and they not only showed up to play in Game 1, but they won with ease.

The Wolves dominated virtually every statistical category in their 117-95 victory over the Lakers and it was a reminder to everyone that playoff basketball is here.

“It was a good wake up call,” Reaves said after Monday’s practice. “Like I said, they’re a hell of a team that battled some injury problems and didn’t get off to the start that they wanted to. Then they’ve been one of the best teams over the last 20 or so games. It was never a lack of talent or ability to play the game or how they play that they were in that play-in area…It’s a wake up call in a sense of we have to be prepared every single possession.”

In the postseason, everything gets amplified. Small errors become loud, and big mistakes can be career-defining. If anyone on the roster felt they could play at an average level and win these games, certainly no one thinks that now.

As a team, a common talking point after this loss has been L.A.’s lack of physicality. This was on full display when you look at the points in the paint margin and how the Wolves outrebounded the Lakers. It felt like every 50/50 ball went Minnesota’s way and while some of that is luck of the draw, you make your own luck by hustling just a bit more.

Individually, Reaves had a rough Game 1, scoring 16 points on 5-13 shooting. He was consistently picked on defensively and the Wolves feasted on those possessions.

Reaves wasn’t alone in having a poor game. Everyone besides Luka Dončić was a disappointment in some way.

The silver lining from this loss is that there is a growth opportunity available and Game 2 is on Tuesday. It can still be Lakers in five with a gentleman’s sweep. If they somehow pull that off, perhaps this postseason will be just like 2020, where the Lakers often lost the first game and dominated the rest of the series.

But either way, Minnesota has LA’s full attention. Now that the Lakers have woken up, it’s time to respond.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.