San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Butler’s ascent changes a boringlooking Finals
The NBA didn’t need a classic Finals to validate the Orlando experiment. In the sporting world, it’s likely to be ranked as the finest sustained accomplishment of the pandemic. And yet, with the experts confounded, LakersHeat Game 5 revealed the very essence of greatness on the highest stage. A few reflections heading into Sunday’s Game 6: In the moment that counted most, LeBron James was Michael Jordan and Danny Green was Steve Kerr. Everyone expected James to take the potential gamewinning shot in the final seconds, but the entire city of Miami swarmed around him. Just beyond the 3point arc, Green stood alone — and a leaping James passed him the ball.
In the 1997 Finals at Chicago’s United Center, Game 6 would be Jordan’s to win. Everyone in the building knew that. But Jordan was doubleteamed by the Utah
Jazz, and instead of trying to provide an improbable brand of clutch shooting, he whipped the ball to a wideopen Kerr.
From 14 feet away, Kerr swished his shot to win the title. Green’s came up disturbingly short. But let’s hear no criticism of LeBron’s choice. He made the right play. And pay no mind to James saying, “I wish I’d thrown a better pass.” It was a bit to Green’s right, but an onrushing Andre Iguodala was about 10 feet away when Green gathered his shot. “Make or miss league,” indeed. The real villain in that sequence was the Lakers’ Markieff Morris, who rebounded Green’s miss and had a suddenly open James in position to win the game from about 20 feet on the right wing with five seconds left. Instead, Morris lobbed an inside pass that sailed over Anthony Davis’ head and out of bounds. There would be a Game 6, and why not? All of a sudden, this series is too good to end so soon. On the list of alltime great players, the twoway stars are especially significant. Thoughts drift back to the defensive prowess of Jordan, Jerry West, John Havlicek, Walt Frazier, Sidney Moncrief, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and, more recently, Kawhi Leonard.
Jimmy Butler is most definitely in that company. Aside from putting up 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and 12for12 shooting on free throws, Butler played 47 minutes ( sitting out exactly 48 seconds) and guarded James when it mattered. Butler was plainly exhausted. He could have deferred the LeBron assignment to Iguodala, who has plenty of firsthand experience. But Butler wanted this game in its every phase.
“That’s what it’s all about,” marveled Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra as he watched Butler walk gingerly back to the locker room, his body aching in a halfdozen places. “That’s the image of a champion.” Added teammate Bam Adebayo, “He’s been as close to perfect as you can possibly get.” James, meanwhile, put up 40 points on 15for21 shooting and was routinely accurate from 3point range. Put the LeBronButler duel in the playoff pantheon with Isiah ThomasBernard King 1984, JordanLarry Bird ’ 86, BirdMagic Johnson ’ 87 and JamesPaul Pierce ’ 08. Far from relevance, and thank goodness: the concept of “load management.” In a fine tradition dating to Wilt Chamberlain, who played in 80plus games nine times and averaged 48.5 minutes per game ( including overtimes) in 196162, the Orlando bubble has been about marathon minutes from the greatest players, even as they grind through injuries. The Clippers’ loadmanagement obsession seemed particularly weak as that team vanished awkwardly from the postseason. Some have theorized, with reasonable evidence, that the concept works against a winning strategy. The Lakers did a lot of complaining after Game 5 about two calls that favored Butler, sending him to the foul line, in the waning moments. That’s badly misguided focus. In sports or in life, don’t ever get caught blaming someone else for your shortcomings. Butler deserved everything he got, and Sunday is all about trying to neutralize him somehow. Davis has an annoying habit of crashing to the floor, writhing in agony and looking for all the world like he’ll miss the next several games. Minutes later, he’s in a very healthylooking sprint. It happens often and it really gets old, but Davis might be legitimately injured this time with a right heel contusion. If he’s at all hobbled Sunday, look for a Game 7. Did Rajon Rondo even play? He did ( 18 minutes), but with none of his usual impact. If you’ve followed his career, you know that can change in a hurry. If Green’s shot would have gone down, he would have become the first player in history to be a starter in backtoback championship seasons for two different teams. ( Toronto last year, although it seems more like five seasons ago.) The Lakers wanted Iguodala.
They tried to trade for him this spring as they looked ahead to the playoffs. But Iguodala found the perfect home, immersed in a culture of winning and fierce dedication. “We’ve got a special team,” he said. “Everyone wants to see everyone else succeed, which is very rare in professional sports. It’s always — it’s at least two people that don’t like each other.”
Does he still connect with his old Golden State teammates? “Every day,” he said. “Like, you’re not allowed to say anything bad about Steph ( Curry) around me, or in general. Even on social media I’m like, ‘ S—, I’ve got to stop liking posts from the Warriors or any of the Warriors fan accounts.’ ”