The Los Angeles Lakers’ 10-year wait for their seventeenth NBA championship has come to an end, with LeBron James’ outfit putting on a defensive clinic to claim the finals series in six.
The Lakers humbles the Miami Heat 106-93 in game six, with James netting 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Anthony Davis 19 points and 15 rebounds.
It was a championship win unlike any before, played in the midst of a pandemic in a quarantine bubble after a lengthy mid-season hiatus.
James clinched his fourth title with a triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds and shooting 13-for-20. Davis had 19 points and shot 7-for-17, with 15 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal but his numbers do not come close to capturing the way he stymied and spooked the Heat on the other end. Rajon Rondo was masterful off the bench (19 points, 8-11 shooting, four assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave the Lakers an offensive boost.
In six games against the Heat, James averaged 29.8 points, 8.5 assists and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 58.6 percent and making 39 percent of his 3-pointers. He was named Finals MVP for the fourth time.
“He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “And if you think you know, you don’t know. Until you’re around him every day, coaching him, you’re seeing his mind, you’re seeing his adjustments, you’re seeing the way he leads the group. If you think you know, you don’t know. And it’s just been a remarkable experience coaching him.”
