Hyde: Heat play tough, but LeBron and Lakers too much to handle

Miami Heat hang tough, but that's not enough vs. Lakers https://t.co/xiBI5CAa52

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 7, 2020

I know what you want to say about the Miami Heat’s loss in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, because I want to say the same thing, too. You want to say it was a valiant loss, a commendable battle.

You want to salute Bam Adebayo for playing hurt, and the underdog Heat for playing hard, even in defeat, especially in the despair of a 102-96 loss that left the Los Angeles Lakers an inevitable one more win from the title.

But sorry. When you don’t win at this point, you lose. When you can’t find a way save a night, you lose the game. And so when the Heat kept pulling close, or even at, 83-83, for a passing moment, it made for a dramatic game.

That doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers and LeBron James made the big plays when needed. These games are in the Disney complex, after all, not on The Disney Channel so wishing on a star won’t make these underdog Heat dreams happen.