The Los Angeles Lakers marked their return to the NBA Finals in 10 years with a bang, manhandling the Miami Heat in Game 1 Wednesday in Orlando.
Anthony Davis exploded in his first Finals appearance, scoring 34 points to lead the Lakers past Miami, 116-98. LeBron James almost had a triple double, ending up with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists for the Lakers.
The Eastern Conference fifth-seed Heat took a 13-point lead midway through the first quarter. However, the Lakers bounced back, taking a three-point halftime lead as Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo of the Heat exited with injuries and star forward Jimmy Butler was hobbled by a twisted ankle.
The Lakers poured it on in the second half, outscoring the Heat 75-30 and coasted to victory.
At one point in the game, the Lakers held a 32-point lead. The Heat put on a solid performance in the fourth to narrow the margin.
Butler led the Heat with 23 points. Miami hope to tie the series with a victory in Game 2 Friday (Saturday, Manila time).
James is the fourth player to make a 10th appearance in the NBA Finals. He had made the Finals with the Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Western Conference champion Lakers are eyeing their 17th championship which would tie them with the Boston Celtics.
NO MORE BUBBLE, NBA CHIEF HOPES
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hopes that the league would not play in a bubble environment next season.
Silver said plans for the new season remained opaque, with no fixed start date and uncertainty surrounding issues such as fans in stadiums.
He hoped the bubble format would be a one-off but said it remained a possibility for next season. ”I’m hoping, ideally, that we would not return to a bubble environment, but it’s something we’re going to have to continue looking at,” Silver said.
The NBA is nearing the end of an unprecedented 2019-2020 season halted in March by the COVID-19 pandemic. The league restarted in July in Orlando with 22 teams.
NO TIME TO CELEBRATE FOR LEBRON
LeBron said their Game 1 victory over Miami is no time to celebrate and recalled Game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2011.
”The best teacher in life is experience,” James said. ”I’ve experienced moments in my career where you have all the momentum in the world and you felt like you had the game under control, and one play here or one play there could change the course of a series or change the course of a game,” James added.
James said he is still rankled by the memory of Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals, when he played alongside Dwyane Wade for the Heat against the Dallas Mavericks.
”D-Wade hits a three right by their bench,” James recalled. ”I believe it put us up either 13 or 17.
”From that moment on, Dallas went on a hell of a run and finished it off with a Dirk Nowitzki left-hand layup to steal that game.
”That burns me to this day,” James said.
DAVIS: WE SHOULD HAVE STARTED BETTER
Davis said they should have started and finished the game better.
”We have to be able to come out a little bit more aggressive and come out with a little more sense of urgency, and that’s on the starters, especially me and Bron,” Davis said. ”But it feels good to get the first game.
”We’re not satisfied. We don’t like how we ended the game. That wasn’t a championship mentality, and you know, we have to be better in that regard.
”We’ll take the win, but we’ll watch film and try to take advantage, as well.”
BUTLER VOWS COMEBACK
Butler called on his battered and bruised Heat teammates to toughen up after their Game 1 loss.
Butler played down the significance of his twisted ankle and said the team would have to recover with or without Dragic in Game 2.
”We just got to be tougher,” Butler said. ”We got to put up more of a fight. I don’t think we did that. And then it doesn’t help whenever we don’t make shots.
”It’s been that way all year long, whenever we start to miss a couple shots, we don’t do what we’re supposed to do on the other end.”
Butler said Miami had enough depth to counter the loss of Dragic if confirmed that he had a torn plantar fascia.
”We got to try to cover up what he gives us and make up for it,” Butler said.
”We’re capable of it. We have to be. Moving forward with or without Goran we better hurry up and tie it up 1-1.”
LEBRON’S NEW SHACK
LeBron has purchased a new house as a member of the Lakers.
Real estate website Real Deal has reported that James bought a Beverly Hills mansion from the estate of “The Bold and the Beautiful” co-creator Lee Phillip Bell.
The 9,146-square foot mansion with a view of downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean has two suites, seven fireplaces, a screening room, two separate guest houses, a lighted tennis court and a pool.
For sale at $39 million, James was able to purchase the property at $36.75 million, a report said.
LeBron had earlier purchased two massive properties in the Los Angeles area of Brentwood – a $21-million house in 2015 and a $23-million house in 2018.
(Compiled by Tristan Lozano)
