HOW BOUT THEM LAKERS? HOW...BOUT...THEM...LAKERS??????? I am smiling from ear to ear as I'm typing this post. I'm a couple hours late since the game ended due to a whole lot of celebrating and sharing with my Laker friends and family. After a bitter Game 5 defeat, the Lakers got it done tonight. They put together a defense to offense clinic to close out the scrappy Miami Heat in six in a 106-93 victory to capture the franchise' 17th title in its history. They tie their bitter rivals, Boston Celtics, for the most titles in NBA history.
I just reflect on this. It's been 10 years since I opened up this blog. Between the Raiders and Lakers, I knew it was more of a guarantee to cover a Lakers championship season. But it hasn't worked that way in these past 9 years. I've covered nearly all the NBA Finals in that span, but I was hoping, wishing I'd cover an NBA Finals here on this blog with the Lakers being involved. As much of a horrible year 2020 currently is for us Laker fans and for myself personally, I wanted this moment more than anything. And it feels great. Of all the 100+ recaps on this blog, I'm going to remember this one for a very long time.
First off, Heat Nation, I tip my hat off to you and your team. It wasn't an easy task to face off against this young, scrappy Miami Heat team. You can hold your heads high on this team. They will be a problem in the East for years to come as long as Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra are engineering this organization. With the improbable run they had, they will for sure be a destination for enticing free agents who want to join a championship-contending team.
But, there could only be one champion and the Lakers took care of business and ended this whole NBA bubble fiasco. It's an old cliché in sports that "defense wins championships." And it was exemplified tonight. Frank Vogel, once again, came up with a big time adjustment by reshuffling the starting lineup. He put AD at the Center position and inserted Alex Caruso in the starting lineup for more defensive pressure. It wasn't until the 2nd quarter where we saw this adjustment as the most ingenious adjustment.
The Lakers put on a defensive masterpiece that 2nd quarter. They ballooned the lead to as many as 28 points and outscored the Heat 36 to 16. It was then and there that this game was over. They just took the fight out of the Miami Heat. The final score may not be reflection of this game, but Miami was absolutely brutalized as the Lakers constantly imposed their will. I said it last game, they had to come out "pissed off" after losing in those Black Mamba jerseys the last game. And the Lakers had no hesitation of pounding them into submission. To make matters worse, the Heat were missing free throws and absolutely missed so many bad shots. It puts a little blemish on Miami's hard-fought postseason run.
Individual performances, I know this guy hates the "Playoff Rondo" nickname, but he absolutely deserves it. Let's upgrade that to "Championship Rondo." Rajon Rondo was big at the beginning of the series. The last few games, he was solid, but not as much as Games 1 and 2. Tonight, he rekindled and was on the attack: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, three 3s off the bench. MVP of this game and certainly a part of history to win a champion as both a Boston Celtic and LA Laker. Alex Caruso's contribution won't show in the stats, but his insertion into the starting lineup certainly was a game-changer as the Lakers turned up the defensive heat (no pun intended) and played at a really fast pace in transition. Lakers were +20 when he was on the floor. KCP came up big once again with 17 points. Danny Green, way to shake off all the trash we gave you. Not an explosive performance, but Danny Green put up a solid 11 points and nailed three 3s. Anthony Davis bad heel and all was a monster on the boards and on the defensive end. He put up 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Glad to see he was moving well after limping his way to the finish line last game.
LeBron James, no question about it, he deserved Finals MVP of this series. He tied the knot in this series with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists tonight. There is no question that the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation will reopen up after this. Let's be real here, Michael Jordan's 6-0 finals record will never be duplicated. But, we can't disregard LeBron's path as an all-time great in his own right: the only player to win championships and Finals MVP on three different teams. He's the only player since Bill Russell and 60's Celtics to make the NBA Finals for nearly a whole decade. Lead a team down 3-1 to a championship comeback for his home town against historically, the best regular season team ever. LeBron has a plethora of accomplishments that shouldn't be swept under the rug. And this championship adds on to his legacy. The scary part for all NBA teams outside of the Lakers? He's not done.
I'm not sure how I want to end this recap. It's such a bittersweet moment for this franchise after the tragedy on January 26 when we lost Kobe Bryant in that helicopter crash, a day after LeBron surpassed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list. This championship is dedicated to him, his daughter Gigi, and the other lives that were lost in that accident. This championship is also for Chick Hearn, Wilt Chamberlain, and Dr. Jerry Buss, the greatest owner in all of professional sports. On a personal note, this championship is for my late dad. As I mentioned, he was a Laker fan since the Showtime era and I wish my brother and I were celebrating with him now. This year was terrible all-around, but this is a silver lining.
Offseason-wise, definitely Anthony Davis is a must re-sign. The Lakers must continue to improve the roster in order to successfully defend the title next year. But all that will be decided a little later. The roster decisions made by Rob Pelinka for this year was beautifully orchestrated. After the Kawhi Leonard free agency fiasco, he unveiled a solid Plan B, built around LeBron and AD and, assembled a unit that Frank Vogel can get the best out of. He was the real Executive of the Year. They can take that to the bank. Also special shoutout to Dwight Howard. He has redeemed himself from 2012-13 and was absolutely deserving of this ring. This was full circle for him, becoming a champion in Orlando. I wouldn't be surprised if he retired after this (actually, let's bring him back please). I have nothing else to say. I will not post an annual "Season in Review." This is the cherry on top. All the things I said in the past about being against signing LeBron and trading the young core for AD, I'm going to eat some good crow tonight. Never have I been this happy to be wrong. Thank you LeBron. Please stay AD. Laker Nation, this year has been real. Let's continue to celebrate this win and celebrate responsibly. NBA Champions baby!!!!!!!!
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