Lakers One Win Away From Championship
By Dan Bruno
The Miami Heat play the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Friday night at Orlando.
This marks the first opportunity of the series for the championship to be decided, as the Lakers are one win away from another NBA title. A Lakers win would also bring many impressive player achievements, as it would be the fourth ring for LeBron James, mean back-to-back championships for Danny Green, and give Rajon Rondo a ring with each of the two greatest rivals in the history of the game. Not to mention the redemption tour of Dwight Howard and the many guys who will win their first.
However, the road to glory will not be easy for the Lakers, as the Heat have already shown that despite being the underdog and even despite dealing with injuries to key players, they can still put up a fight and earn a win. The Heat grabbed their only win of the series in Game 3, with Goran Dragic (foot) and Bam Adebayo (neck) both sidelined, as Jimmy Butler put on a masterclass with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, becoming the only player to ever tally more points, rebounds and assists than LeBron James in a Finals game. Of course, Butler had help, as four other players scored in double digits for the Heat, and the majority of work was done on the defensive end, where they held the Lakers to 43 percent shooting. Defense is a major key for the Heat, as they have shown flashes of brilliance, but they need to do a better job of keeping it up all game. Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and Jae Crowder will need to continue to step up to give the Heat their best shot. Adebayo played 33 minutes in Game 4 and is expected to be ready for Friday, but Goran Dragic is considered doubtful.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will be looking to build on the momentum of their last win and also looking ahead to the prize to keep themselves motivated and focused on the details in Game 5, as they already know they can win, they just need to close it out. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis averaging a combined 53 points and 19 rebounds per game, the rest of the squad needs to lock down on defense and play responsibly on the offensive end to have a shot at the title. Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have all been difference-makers in their roles and can be instrumental in helping the Lakers close it out.
This marks the first opportunity of the series for the championship to be decided, as the Lakers are one win away from another NBA title. A Lakers win would also bring many impressive player achievements, as it would be the fourth ring for LeBron James, mean back-to-back championships for Danny Green, and give Rajon Rondo a ring with each of the two greatest rivals in the history of the game. Not to mention the redemption tour of Dwight Howard and the many guys who will win their first.
However, the road to glory will not be easy for the Lakers, as the Heat have already shown that despite being the underdog and even despite dealing with injuries to key players, they can still put up a fight and earn a win. The Heat grabbed their only win of the series in Game 3, with Goran Dragic (foot) and Bam Adebayo (neck) both sidelined, as Jimmy Butler put on a masterclass with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, becoming the only player to ever tally more points, rebounds and assists than LeBron James in a Finals game. Of course, Butler had help, as four other players scored in double digits for the Heat, and the majority of work was done on the defensive end, where they held the Lakers to 43 percent shooting. Defense is a major key for the Heat, as they have shown flashes of brilliance, but they need to do a better job of keeping it up all game. Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and Jae Crowder will need to continue to step up to give the Heat their best shot. Adebayo played 33 minutes in Game 4 and is expected to be ready for Friday, but Goran Dragic is considered doubtful.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will be looking to build on the momentum of their last win and also looking ahead to the prize to keep themselves motivated and focused on the details in Game 5, as they already know they can win, they just need to close it out. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis averaging a combined 53 points and 19 rebounds per game, the rest of the squad needs to lock down on defense and play responsibly on the offensive end to have a shot at the title. Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have all been difference-makers in their roles and can be instrumental in helping the Lakers close it out.