5 Things: What the Lakers can do to close it out tonight

Just a lil fiver for your day. I am personally super-pumped for tonight and am giddy to be done with work like I haven’t been since March. Let’s do this Lakerholics!!!

1) Hot start. The entire game will be easier if we don’t spend the first quarter searching for rhythm or mojo. Come out with a purpose, hit your open looks and play hard. The rest will come in the flow of the game.

2) Lock in on defense. As if this needed to be said, but it’s the biggest key to a close out. Make life hard, if Dwight plays then make sure you are felt in the paint when Miami drives. No easy, uncontested shots.

3) But also defend without fouling. Especially Jimmy Butler. We need to keep him off the line, stymie Miami’s easy points they accumulate from the stripe. Contest, body up, no easy layups but no flagrant fouls and don’t get into the ref game. Just hoop.

4) Take care of the little things. Make your free throws, cheer from the sidelines if you’re a G-Leaguer, be ready if you’re a rotation guy because you never know when that number you’re wearing will be called. Trends provide narrative and media fodder but the truth is anything can happen tonight. So no injuries, be ready to do your job and be a great teammate.

5) Let LeBron and AD do their thing. One of my off-season topics will be ‘why did we not see more directly linked LBJ/AD action this season. The James/Davis pick and roll has been run maybe a dozen times and it usually results in a pass to a different player, it’s used as much for deception as for production. Nevertheless, both players have shown they can dominate the game when sharing the floor. They need to do that tonight for us to have any kind of shot. Subpar games need not show up today, bring that A game and let’s bring home banner 17 to hang on STAPLES!!!

Go Lakers.