That was a hard fought contest and maybe the best basketball game of the Bubble. A see-saw game that saw big plays from multiple players on both squads. The Heat got Bam back but it wasn’t enough to stymie and multi-pronged Laker attack. Do the Heat have another wrench to throw in the gears?
- LeBron and AD playing more to form. We’ve said it here on the blog all year (literally, this season has taken a whole dang year almost!) and it’s still true today: we’re only going as far as James and Davis take us. They were both solid and steady all game long making the plays the team needed down the stretch, being tough on the glass (21 rebounds combined) and hitting the big shots down the stretch. Miami has certainly found a way to make the game tougher for LeBron and Anthony. The great ones find a way to rise above and reach a higher plateau and while neither player had a “one for the record books” game they both did the job of leading the team to a win.
- Starting guards to the rescue! KCP was stellar last night, huge on both ends and the victim of The Mystery of the Missing Whistle in the first half. Danny Green was also solid (for once) and when these guys contribute like this it makes LeBron and Rondo’s job a lot easier. The starting duo combined for 26 points (10-20, 5-14 from three), 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. That’s what we need to have happen on Friday to end the series otherwise we could easily be looking at game 6 on Sunday if they can’t make shots and impact other areas of the game. Pope was instrumental in overcoming a very sluggish start from LeBron.
- Bench Squad: In COLOR! I’m calling ’em the Bench Squad, a nod to the old Leslie Nielsen TV show, Police Squad (later turned into a cinematic trilogy, The Naked Gun) comedies but there’s nothing funny about these guys. To a man Rondo, Caruso, Morris and Kuzma played really well. With much of Miami’s bench now in the starting line up due to injury (or racking up DNP-coaches decision’s) the pressure our bench creates by playing well is more important than ever. If they can keep pouring in about 20 ppg and doing the things they’re supposed to be doing, especially on defense, it’s going to be hard for Miami to salvage another win. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if Dragic comes back on Friday. One would assume he at least gives it a go which would mean he either comes off the bench (unlikely since the injury might stiffen up after warming up) or pushes Tyler Herro back to a secondary role.
- Keeping Butler off the free throw line. One of the big keys in any game against the Heat is keeping them, and especially Jimmy Butler, off the free throw line. It looked like we were going to fail in that task early on as the Lakers watched Miami rack up double digit free throw attempts to our 5 in the first half. We cleaned that up in the second half and stayed aggressive, getting ourselves to the line in the process and swinging the game in our favor. LeBron was relentless in attacking the pressure and helped close the free throw gap and AD’s defense on Butler was stellar.
- The continuing evolution of Frank Vogel. What a ride this team has been on, from going on one heckuva role just before COVID to coming into the Bubble playing in an underwhelming fashion. Frank had a line up that was clicking in the regular season. But it’s been really interesting watching how Frank has embraced, in his own way, the more modern concepts of NBA basketball. Using Morris more at center, using Dwight or JaVale to get AD some time at the 4 and saving him for late game excellence on defense. Unlocking the defense of Kyle Kuzma which has been huge in the playoffs and elevating Caruso to defensive spark plug. There’s certainly more to like about his evolution and growth and we can more into that in the off season. I just wanted to take a second and express my admiration for a coach who came in with a mind set, adapted it to the players he has, and made it work out on the court. Reminds me a lot of Nick Nurse, in that regard. Many coaches would be wise to adopt a similar level of flexibility in their thinking. Sometimes it feels like the philosophy and personnel don’t exactly mesh and that solid talent is relegated to the bench or cast aside in favor of an ideal. Vogel is practical, I admire that a lot.
One win people. One stinking win away from banner #17! It’s an incredible precipice we’re standing on and I am loving every second of these NBA Finals. Bam is back, it won’t be enough if we get solid contributions from the roster and good to great games from Davis and James. Jimmy B. needs to play at a historic, and frankly unsustainable, level in order to elevate Miami to ‘W’ potential. He might have one more of those in him on Friday but if I can go 0-fer on predictions and we get the cookie you can color me happy as a clam.
Go Lakers.
Good stuff as always, Jamie. Thanks.
1) While it wasn’t the best games for either LeBron or AD, especially in the first half, they both came up big when it counted and that’s what makes champions.
For me this game came down to the defending the superstars. The Lakers did exactly what I said they had to do, which is go under those screens and force Butler to shoot the threes, which he didn’t want to do and was 0-3 when he did.
Meanwhile, the Heat and Jimmy did the same to LeBron but he responding by hitting two big threes to hold the Heat in check. Taking and making those threes opened up driving lanes that let the Lakers win this game.
AD volunteering and shutting Jimmy down in the last three quarters was key as was his dagger three to ice the game.
2) I agree with you on KCP and Green, although Danny was shakey offensively. Those 5 points down the stretch by Kenny were big. No more KFC jokes on his part. He’s a Lakers and should stay that way. As for Danny, $15M expiring contract is sure to be traded.
3) I’ve been touting the Lakers are having a better bench than the Heat and that proved to be true for the second game in a row, although I will concede their bench was depleted by missing starters. Don’t forget the Lakers lost a starting guard in Bradley,
4) I agree the job we did in keeping Jimmy off the line was superb but it was going under the screens and having AD on him to prevent those straight line drives. Also, Jimmy was beat after the first quarter by carrying the Heat and trying to guard the bigger LeBron.
5) Frank Vogel is the unsung hero of this team and the Lakerholics.Com COY. His final evolution as a great coach was starting Markieff Morris in the second half and moving AD to center. Morris for McGee against the Heat. Howard for McGee against the Nuggets. And now back to Morris for Howard in the Finals. That’s the lineup we should hit the floor with to end the season on Friday.
LAKERS OVER HEAT IN FIVE. JUST LIKE AGAINST THE BLAZERS, ROCKETS, AND NUGGETS. GO, LAKERS!
Yep,
I still think Howard will start but could happen. He only played 8 minutes so not much impact one way or the other.
Great fiver, Jamie. Well said, man. What a hard fought battle. Tough plays by both teams until the final minutes and that’s what you want to see in a finals game. The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.
I will take a hard fought win over a blowout. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Vogel empty the bench with 5 minutes left in a blowout?
A blowout win, especially to win the championship, would take away from the thrill of winning the game. It would definitely make for a boring game without being properly challenged. And you know what else that will lead to? Our critics will come full circle with all sorts of narratives and storylines. They will say it was too easy, our opponent was not good and not worthy. Miami Heat are a legit team, and like I said before, there is a reason they are in the finals. But I will take a close game like the Lakers had in this game and then they turn into another gear in the 4th quarter to win. That’s championship basketball.
Our starting guards were solid and stellar in this game. Danny green showed up. It was great to see KCP take the bull by the horn, hitting huge shots and attacking the rim in the biggest moment. KCP is fearless, resilient and durable. And please, no more KFC jokes on his part like LakerTom said. It was bravery on his part, and while I am forever grateful for LeBron and AD, I would love to see a role player with the guts to take over at the biggest moment over any superstar. That’s what brings thrill to a win. By the way, that’s the kind of player our rookie THT is going to become. He’s fearless at this young age.
Again, the bench was great for the second straight game. A big shoutout to Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Markief Morris and Dwight Howard for fighting hard to the very end. Frank Vogel has been masterful throughout the playoffs. Great job!
In the end, it was the Lakers’ identity as a defensive juggernaut and their ensuing defense is what carried the day. The Heat are now paralyzed waist down and there is no way of coming back from a 3-1 deficit against this Lakers team unless something goes terribly wrong.
It was a nail-biter, but that’s what made the victory the more the merrier. One more to go.
Thanks buba, totally agree on the perception points and the corroded storyline that could (will?) come out of these Finals. I’ve always thought that the team that made it to the next round was the team that deserved to win. Some people like to over-weigh the effect match ups have, and they do have an impact. But match ups didn’t force the Clippers to blow big leads and lose the series. Match ups didn’t stop Boston from not treating these games with the importance they deserve or to lose focus for whole halves at a time. Match ups are what a coach can adjust (except Mike “One Dimension” D’Antoni…). So, for me, it’s a moot point.
Really looking forward to Friday and hope the extra rest gives us a rea;;y exciting and entertaining game.
Awesome fiver, Jamie!!
Thanks dude!