LAKERS 2020 NBA CHAMPIONS!

Final Score: LAL 106 MIA 93 - LAKERS WIN 4-2!

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!!!!!!!!

Lakers Grind Out W vs. Heat to Take 3-1 Lead

Final Score: LAL 102 MIA 96 - Lakers Lead 3-1

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers rebounded from an ugly Game 3 loss that was marred by turnovers and foul trouble. They pick up the victory tonight in a 102-96 win and take once again a 3-1 lead. They're only one win away from their 17th NBA Championship.

This was not an easy game to close out. The Heat are a very dangerous team when you let them within striking distance, especially in that 4th quarter. This was a slow game to start. But a good defensive one. At the 2nd half though, the Lakers once again did what they did and clamp down on the Miami Heat offense. No Jimmy Butler to go off for another 40-point game. He started a perfect 5-5 in the first quarter, but struggled mightily down the stretch. Frank Vogel made the adjustment of having Anthony Davis guard Butler rather than the returning Bam Adebayo and AD's presence proved to be a huge factor for the Lakers today. Coach Vogel was on top of the adjustments this game with AD checking Butler and making the 2nd half adjustment in putting Markieff Morris in the starting lineup when Dwight Howard was ineffective for the most part this game. 

AD the last game was a non-factor due to early foul trouble. But tonight, he impacted the game all-around. As I mentioned, Vogel assigned AD to guard Butler for the majority game. His size and length did a great job disrupting Jimmy B's line of sight to the basket for the most part. Down the stretch, he was huge on both ends with a dagger three to put the Lakers up 100-91 and a big block on Butler in the final seconds to deny Miami's bid for an improbable run. He bounced back with a solid all-around game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

LeBron James struggled early on in this game. He was held in check to single digits in the first half. But the second half is when he really got going. The turnovers were still prevalent as James committed 6 turnovers, leading the Lakers in that category. He did take some questionable shot selections from behind the arc. The Lakers were in a close game and he just continued to chuck up 3s in that third quarter. Luckily enough, Rajon Rondo was in position to block out and get the offensive rebounds during those sequences for the Lakers.

The supporting cast showed up for this game. As I mentioned, Rondo didn't score much with 2 points, but was impactful on the offensive boards with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma had a dip in scoring that we expected on game-by-game basis, but each contributed with 9 points. Alex Caruso added 7 points and sacrificed his body like usual to draw charges. Danny Green got off to a hot start with 10 points, but cooled off since then. The main headline though, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, had 15 points. KCP was huge tonight with 8 points to start. He cooled down a little bit. But in the big moment, he went on a mini 5-0 run with a clutch 3 in the corner and a driving layup to put the Lakers up 95-88 in the final seconds of the 4th. He can be hard to trust in those situations, but the poise was evident out there. You can say Klutch Sports took over this game for the Lakers. LeBron, AD, and KCP are a part of that agency with agent, Rich Paul. They are the top three leading scorers for the Lakers tonight. 

The free throw disparity was the main reason that this game was close for the most part. I think I remember on the ESPN graphic, the Lakers only had 3 free throw attempts while the Heat had 16 of them. You could tell all the calls were favoring the Heat for the most part. Miami got away with a whole lot of contact in some spurts of the game. By the end of the game though, the Lakers were starting to get calls in their favor and the fact that they put Miami in the penalty early on was huge. By the end of the game, the free throws were a lot closer with the Heat attempting 26 while the Lakers finished with 21 free throw attempts.

Well, the Lakers have been here before if the last three series were any indication. Miami has not been in this situation throughout this postseason. The Lakers are one win away from another title. The job is not finished though as Kobe Bryant would mutter out. Especially with two extra days, the Heat have ample time to be at full strength. We don't know how serious Goran Dragic's foot is or whether he can return to the court. Regardless, you can expect the Heat to come out with more desperation than they have all postseason long. For the Lakers, this is it. The message for Game 5 is simple: leave nothing out there on the court! LeBron and AD have to kick it into high gear. The supporting cast, we're going to need you to step your game up once more. Just for this one more game, leave nothing behind and give it your all. Get this 'ship! For Kobe! For Gigi! For Chick Hearn! And for Dr. Jerry Buss! Just one more baby! Let's wrap this up on Friday! I'll see you guys later.

Lakers Edged Out By Heat in Defensive Battle

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Julius Randle lead the Lakers with 25 points and 12 rebounds, but came up unlucky in a potential game-sealing basket, leading to the 92-91 loss to the Heat. Brook Lopez added 18 points and Kyle Kuzma added 11 points to go with 8 rebounds. Travis Wear lead the 2nd unit in scoring with 11 points.

Final Score: vs. Miami 92-91 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180316/MIALAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Indiana (03/19)

Highlights: *Courtesy of House of Highlights*

Yes, this one hurts. This was a very physical, defensive battle from both teams. It came down to which team was gonna make the final defensive stand. You'd figured the more experience defensive would come out on top, which would be the Heat. What a damp on another big game from Randle. He had a chance to put the Lakers up by three, but the jump hook just rimmed out. That shot has been completely effective for Randle and you can't blame him for missing that shot, which lead to Goran Dragic's go-ahead shot. It was really unlucky as I mentioned. The biggest culprits in the game were the turnovers and the offensive rebounding from the Heat. Lakers committed 20 turnovers to 11 turnovers from Miami. They were careless. They were too passive. At the same time, you gotta give credit to the Heat defense. They made the adjustments to slow down the fast pace tempo of the Lakers after the Lakers destroyed them on their home floor a few weeks ago. The Lakers were forced to play at a half court game and Miami was able to take advantage with an aggressive, swarming defense. They outhustled the Lakers for 2nd chance opportunities. Every time the Lakers looked like they made good defensive stops, the Heat were one step ahead of them in crashing the glass for 2nd chance opportunities. Bam Adebayo looked like a mini Hassan Whiteside out there. He and Josh Richardson terrorized the Lakers in the offensive rebounding category. I.T. was ice cold off the bench. Ball continues to struggle. KCP is at a funk. The back court was just terrible this game scoring-wise. It's a tough way to transition to a very tough four-game road trip ahead.  Pacers, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Pistons, three of those teams are fighting for their playoff lives there.

Lakers Get Elusive Road Win in Miami

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Julius Randle bullied his way to lead the Lakers with 25 points and 6 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Heat 131-113, ending a long losing streak down in South Beach.  Lonzo Ball returned to the starting lineup scoring 8 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and a team-high 6 steals. Brandon Ingram racked up 19 points to go with 5 boards and 5 dimes, KCP added 18 points, and Brook Lopez chipped in 10 points to round out the starters. I.T. showed flashes of last year's MVP-worthy season with 29 points off the bench including 6 threes and 6 assists and Kyle Kuzma added 16 points and 6 rebounds to round out the 2nd unit.

Final Score: @ Miami 131-113 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180301/LALMIA#/recap

Next Game: @ San Antonio (03/03)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

2008. That year was the last time the Lakers won a road game in Miami. They finally end the South Beach jinx 10 years later. The Heat have always been a quality defensive team under Erik Spoelstra's watch. You know coming into this game they'd gameplan defensively to slow down the Lakers full court tempo. They could not stop them. It's impressive that this young Lakers team just hung 131 points on one of the more quality defensive teams in the NBA. It all started at the defensive end. The Lakers get stops, they are on the break. It didn't matter if Miami got back on defense, they were looking to attack. Randle and Ingram lead the way, pounding the rim at will. Lonzo Ball was big time in the steals category. Call him a bust all you want, but he's not there to pad his stats like a 2nd pick would. He does all the little things to give his team the win. Zo set the tone on the defensive end, providing some quality help defense to set up the fast breaks that the Lakers love to do on the open floor. The team got off to a fast start with a 20-7 lead. The Heat fought back with Dragic and Wade paving the way. I.T. comes in and he puts the game on ice for the Lakers. He was red hot from deep, especially down the stretch when he hit three 3-pointers to give the Lakers all kinds of cushion. They don't call him "the King in the Fourth" for nothing. He's proven that he can be lightning in a bottle, especially during crunch time. The Heat got gashed big time. It was great to see this young Lakers team use their speed, quickness, and unselfishness against one of the better defensive teams. With this win, the Lakers are now over their win total from last season. We're seeing game-by-game that there is a core to lean on and a future to build around. That's what will entice quality free agents to come instead of this franchise begging for those free agents to play for them. The Lakers are riding a 4-game win streak. That's their cutoff in terms of winning streaks so far this season. They'll look to go above that and keep the train rolling in San Antonio. Like last meeting, the Spurs will likely be short-handed again given the ankle injury to LaMarcus Aldridge and the uncertain return of Kawhi Leonard. But nonetheless, they're still a good team as long as a certain Coach Popovich is on the sideline. That's gonna be another good test for the Lakers and the team's continued improvement.