Here’s how Heat stifled LeBron James, Lakers in Game 3

Beyond Jimmy Butler's heroics, here's how Heat stifled LeBron James, Lakers in Game 3 of NBA Finals

by @outsidethenbahttps://t.co/IKO00I3GsI pic.twitter.com/rKJxLypuo6

— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) October 5, 2020

After falling behind 2-0, Butler said Miami had allowed the Lakers too many offensive rebounds and failed to get back in transition, the same mistakes that proved costly in the opener. “Eventually we’re going to have to fix it because that’s how we’re going to win,” he said. This proved prophetic: In Game 3, the Lakers didn’t get their first second-chance point until the second half and finished with only six. And not only were they unable to run often, they weren’t particularly efficient when they did.

All playoffs, the Lakers’ opponents have talked about limiting their easy shots and forcing them to play against a set defense. No one, however, has been able to do these things consistently. That the Heat did — and made Los Angeles turn the ball over on 20 percent of its possessions — without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic is remarkable.

Anthony Davis, so dominant just two days earlier, took a seat with two fouls in the first quarter with four turnovers and no shot attempts to his name. It was a rough night for Davis, but look at how Miami is shrinking the floor, showing help and forcing those early turnovers.

Uncomfortable, Davis finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and missed the only shot he took in the fourth quarter. Much has been made about the Heat having no one who can match up with Davis besides Adebayo, but that’s not necessarily the point. The goal is to make him feel like there is always another defender lurking nearby, regardless of who’s guarding him.

“All five guys on the court’s antennas were up for his sets and for his looks,” Heat forward Jae Crowder said.

The plan was similar against LeBron James, who had eight turnovers to go with his 25 points and eight assists. Miami learned after Game 1 that it could not simply surrender easy switches against James, and in Game 3 it sold out even more on Los Angeles’ shooters to prevent him from getting to the basket. The Heat tried to show and recover on his pick-and-rolls, and if they had to switch, they made sure he saw bodies.

All season, Los Angeles has never scored fewer than the 34 points in the paint it mustered on Sunday. (Butler alone had 26.) The Lakers shot 14 for 22 at the rim, essentially an average night for an average team. Los Angeles could have potentially overcome this with 3-point shooting, but it went 14 for 42 from deep. Miami often stopped short on its close-outs, encouraging the Lakers to shoot. Far too often, they either turned down an open look or bricked it.