Sometimes basketball is easy.
While this postseason has made us doubt that at times, the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (AEST) proved that some playoff stereotypes remain true, such as: If you have the better players, you’re more likely to win.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined scored 65 points as the Lakers dismantled an injured side of Miami Heat in a 124-114 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
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Davis OBLITERED the heat
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Without Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo, Miami’s zone defense couldn’t stop again as they fell into a 2-0 hole that looks deeper than they’d like at this point in the series.
Miami has defied the usual postseason narratives in the Orlando bubble. Sure, Jimmy Butler is a star. But he’s not up to the level of James, Davis, or some of the players who couldn’t even get to the big dance.
The heat had relied on a committee of role-players to get through the east. It just wasn’t enough against the Lakers, who have the two best players on the field.
Davis finished the 15-of-20 shooting with 32 points and 14 rebounds (8 offensives) while James had 33 points, nine boards and nine assists. At this point, the biggest question in this matchup seems to be which Lakers star will win the Final MVP.
“He’s a great player,” said James of his all-star teammate Davis in his tenth NBA final. “He understands the position he’s in. He understands how much our team needs him and he gets through.”
James and Davis were the first Lakers teammates to both score over 30 points in a final game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did so in 2002.
The Lakers shot 50.5 percent from the field and made the most three-point field attempts in the history of the NBA final. The 47 shots from below show how easily they were able to unlock the defense, but also how Miami tried to keep them out of the paint.
Once again, James and Davis got help from their supporting cast as Rajon Rondo scored 16 points and 10 assists from the jaw while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma each had 11 points.
68:54 behind at break, Miami had some success in their third game when they beat the Lakers 39:35 in the quarter. But despite their best efforts, they could never really close the gap with a team that relied on their superstars when it really mattered.
“It’s a great team we’re playing,” said James, who is 2-0 for the first time in a final series, of the heat. “And we understand that. They put you in some really tough times … and look forward to seeing the movie again and finding ways we can get better. Because we can. “
Butler led to Miami with 25 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists, while Erik Spoelstra’s men received a surprise contribution from Kelly Olynyk, who had 24 points from the bench.
Rookie Tyler Herro scored 17 points when he was promoted to the starting line-up instead of Dragic, but Miami couldn’t find a defensive replacement for Adebayo as they were overrun in color and on the boards.
“We don’t give what others think,” said Spoelstra after the game.
“What will it take? Whatever it takes. If you want something badly enough, you will find out.”
Game 3 will be played on Monday October 5th (AEST).
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