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The NBA Finals couldn’t have started much better for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The best team in the Western Conference clearly defeated the Miami Heat with 116: 98 and led the team around Jimmy Butler in places. (The complete NBA Finals LIVE on TV on SPORT1 + and on LIVESTREAM)
The Heat were still lucky that the Lakers took it easy in view of the huge lead in the fourth quarter and the lead narrowed a bit.
Lakers superstar Davis unstoppable
The standout man on the Lakers’ side was Anthony Davis, who had 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 38 minutes. He also had a plus-minus balance of +23.
Only Shaquille O’Neal (43 points in 2000) and George Mikan (42 points in 1949) had scored more points than Davis in his Finals debut with the Lakers. (Schedule and results of the NBA playoffs)
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my entire career,” said late rookie Davis, who joined the Lakers before the season. “I want to make sure I take this opportunity because it doesn’t come too often.”
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LeBron James missed a triple-double
Even James couldn’t match those numbers. The four-time MVP also shone against his former team and narrowly missed a triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
For James, who won the championship with Miami in 2012 and 2013, an unusual start to the NBA Finals. In eight of his final nine series, he had previously lost Game 1, most recently seven times in a row.
The NBA superstar also warned: “The work is not done yet. We are not satisfied with winning a game. It’s that simple.”
James still thinking about ruining himself with the Mavs
The bum is out of the question for the 35-year-old, after all he still thinks about the playful advantage in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks around his superstar Dirk Nowitzki.
“That shit still bothers me to this day,” James said.
At the time, Miami had led 88:73 with seven minutes left in the game. Then came Nowitzki, who played despite a small splint on his injured left middle finger, scored the Mavs’ last nine points and, among other things, the decisive basket 3.6 seconds before the end of the game.
Butler, Dragic and Adebayo battered
For the Heat, however, the night couldn’t have been worse. Although they started strong and went with 23:10 after a 13-0 race lead, but then Miami fell under the wheels and had to endure a 25:55 run at half 1.
Star Butler sprained her left ankle even though it continued in half two despite the pain. Goran Dragic also injured his left foot and had to stay in the locker room during the break. When Center Bam Adebayo went down with a shoulder injury in the third quarter, the heat disaster was complete.
Butler was still the best pitcher with 23 points for the desperate Miami, which at times was even behind with 32 points. That was also due to the one-sided rebounding game, which the Lakers won 54:36.
The second game of the final at the Bubble in Florida will take place on Saturday night starting at 3 am (LIVE on TV on SPORT1 +).
