It was nervous time for nearly 43 minutes, but the Lakers finished 102-96 over
the Miami Heat. The Purple and Gold are now up 3-1 in the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles and Miami tugged back and forth for the entire game, but the Lake
Show tightened their grip and took the game in the final minutes. Their
defense set the expectation that this Game 4 was no surrender.
LeBron James (28 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) and Anthony Davis (22 points,
9 rebounds) performed under pressure. The inside-outside tandem dictated the
Lakers formidable defense. You could feel the LeBron-Chasedown in your bones.
And AD taking on Miami’s strong shooters was magnificent. The Brow and team
held Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson to under 25 points
respectively. Coach Frank Vogel switched to a small-ball lineup, and with the
presence of Markieff Morris (9 points) his scheme was successful.
Overall, the King’s vision was dialed in on every facet of the floor. He was
hot from three and looked like he loved splitting the defense — as Miami
continued to pack the paint. And even with an abnormally quiet first half, the
King continued to do the little things as his teammates stepped up and took
charge.
There is one thing LBJ did and always does without fail: collects the ball and
gets moving in transition. Similarly, AD was right there when Bron wasn’t
grabbing the rebound and gave his offense momentum to fire up something
special.
When the duo wasn’t waiting for the ball under the rim, it was Rajon Rondo
stepping up to do his team a solid defensively. With 7 rebounds, Rondo made it
abundantly apparent that as a point guard he’s quite comfortable on the glass.
As his no-look passes and frequent steals have probably let on, Doe is as
svelte as he is calculated.
On the topic of calculated, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15 points, 5 assists)
and Danny Green (10 points) played with such purpose this game. Their shooting
accuracy brought a much-needed consistency to their squad.
Caldwell-Pope, in particular, was a sensational spark. It was KCP in the final
minutes of the fourth with a triple and then a drive that notified the city of
Los Angeles the game was theirs.
Both teams were desperate tonight — that was evident. “We needed every second
from the bench,” LeBron stressed. They got that and some. The Lakers need one
more game to grab their 17th title. “We understand what’s at stake,” James
said after the game. They have their shot Friday night.