Lakers seize 2- 0 lead in NBA Finals
Outmanned Heat just can’t match up with James, Davis
LeBron James and Anthony Davis combine for 65 points to beat a shorthanded but feisty Miami squad 124- 114.
ORLANDO, Fla. — No one expected the Miami Heat to quit, short- handed super- underdogs that they were.
They came into the playoffs as the f ifth seed in the Eastern Conference, shocked the top- seeded Milwaukee Bucks, outlasted the Boston Celtics and forced their way into an NBA Finals they had no business making.
So even though the Heat lost two starters to injury in Game 1, the Lakers expected a fight.
Game 2 was that, but the Lakers prevailed, 124- 114, and need just two more wins to become NBA champions.
This one took 33 points from LeBron James and 32 points from Anthony Davis. It was the f irst time since 2002 that a pair of Lakers teammates scored 30 or more points in a Finals game — in 2002 it was Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“They both had a competitive spirit with themselves to will their teams to win,” Davis said. “I think me and Bron are the same way. We are two guys who want to win no matter the circumstance. We both want to make sure that we do whatever it takes to help our team win. … It’s not always going to be pretty. Sometimes we are going to argue and have disagreements, but we know it’s coming from the right place.”
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25, while Kelly Olynyk scored 24 off the bench. Goran Dragic ( torn plantar fascia) and Bam Adebayo ( neck strain) could only watch.
“This team has a lot of f ight,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of the Heat. “Like I said, they are extremely diff icult to guard, no matter who is in uniform. Doesn’t matter that they had some guys out. They are a deep team, and you know, with Bam out, they become different from the standpoint of more spacing at the threepoint line, which presents different kinds of challenges.”
The Lakers had a few special guests in the building on Friday. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and team executive Linda Rambis attended their f irst game in the bubble, sitting inside a raised booth. They waved at general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka. Buss’ brother Joey, one of the
team’s alternate governors, was also in the booth, attending his second Finals game.
The game offered a throwback to an age when the three- pointer didn’t rule, and it was a good thing for the Lakers as they started the game cold from distance and never quite found their rhythm. Their starters made only seven of 28 threepoint attempts ( Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell- Pope combined to go three for 19 from beyond the arc).
They still scored at a high clip, by making 66% of their two- point attempts.
While a thorough dismantling was expected, it never truly came. The Lakers led by six points after one
quarter despite only making three of 12 three- point attempts. Their hot- shooting from deep in Game 1 helped them pull away from the Heat.
In Game 2, the Lakers made their mark from closer range. They made 22 of their f irst 25 two- pointers, led by Davis who’s jumper was nearly unstoppable. Davis made 14 of his first 15 shots.
“His mind- set is he wants to be a champion,” Vogel said of Davis. “He’s extremely motivated to play at a high level. You’re seeing it every time he steps on the f loor.”
Defensively, the Lakers had problems.
They led by 18 in the third quarter, led by Davis who scored 15 third- quarter points. Still the Heat pushed back, pulling to within nine near the end of the period.
At one point, James and Davis appeared frustrated with each other.
“We had some blown coverages on the defensive end and we were both frustrated that we had multiple coverages that were blown tonight,” Davis said. “It was just all piling up and we just kind of had that moment, put it behind us and kept playing.
“Like I said, it’s not always going to be pretty. It always seem like everything is good with me and him, and we do have our times where we do yell at each other and we do argue, but we know it’s coming from a good place, so we get over it quickly and move on to the next play. We are just two guys that really want to win and have a love for the game.”
Miami never got closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
“We definitely were not happy with our performance defensively tonight,” James said. “Hopefully we can be — well, we know, not hopefully, we know we can be better in Game 3.”