NBA Highlights September 26: Lakers return to Finals after 10 years

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 117-107 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on Saturday, preventing the “Miracle of the Nuggets” from happening again and reaching the NBA Finals for the first time. once in 10 years.

The last time the purples and golds were in the Finals, Kobe Bryant led them to win their 16th title in franchise history. May the best Laker rest in peace.

“Every time you wear Purple and Gold, you think of his legacy, you think of him and what he meant to this franchise for over 20 years and what he represented both on the court and off it. What he demanded of his teammates, what he demanded himself. We have some similarities in that regard, “said James.

“Our games are different. But when it comes to our mindset and our drive to want to be the best, and our drive not to lose … just that drive to always want to be victorious. It keeps you from sleeping.”

We were looking at a typical “full power” James in Game 5, not just because of the triple-double of 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. In the first half, James aimed for the rim early on. Rather than dribble the ball and scan the court first, James opted to attack the Nuggets paint quickly on every possession, leaving opponents with no time to get close. Also, even though he lost 16 points in the first two quarters, James only took one attempt out of the paint – he didn’t shoot well in the middle and long range for most of this series.

The extra intensity invested by the Nuggets in the third quarter once made people believe they could claim another win back, which they did so many times in the playoffs this year. James made sure that didn’t happen with 16 points in the fourth quarter. He scored nine straight points for the Lakers in the final four minutes, all through jump shots: a back shot, a back jump shot, an up shot and a triple at the end. His performance reminded you of what he did in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2016.

James will play the 10th NBA final in his career against the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics.

Of course, the nearly 36-year-old wasn’t the Lakers’ only hero on Saturday night. Anthony Davis, who appeared on the court with a sprained ankle, had 27 points, five rebounds, two triples (both in the second half), nine free throws and two steals. James carried part of his offensive responsibility and Davis saved more energy for his defense.

There’s another one that purple and gold should praise, and it was Dwight Howard. Putting in nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes didn’t sound very incredible, but Howard managed to wear down Nikola Jokic with his persistent physical contact and little tricks from time to time. Thanks to Howard’s work, Jokic only played 29 minutes in the win or go home game with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Despite the loss, the Nuggets have fared much better than most expected after coming back from a 3-1 trail twice. Both Jokic and Jamal Murray have demonstrated the ability to dominate a series. Even the Lakers didn’t have a decent solution for screen plays between the two. However, both they and the Nuggets have some things to work on before they can get closer to the championship.

Jokic is already mature enough with his offensive skills; there is seldom anything you can’t do in that division. The next step for him was learning to stay calm when his defender made an unorthodox move on him, like Howard. Joker’s performance was very emotionally oriented, he needed to learn how to make it work for him, not against him.

As for Murray, he must enrich his arsenal. When hot, Murray was as unstoppable as some of the best scorers in league history. However, when his jumpers didn’t go down, Murray could easily slip into offensive difficulties. For example, in Saturday’s game, the Lakers opted to catch him outside the 3-point line, forcing Murray to give the ball to his teammates to make a play. Murray wasn’t shooting well, and for a long time, he couldn’t find Jokic to make screen play – Jokic was sitting on the bench due to foul problems. Murray will undoubtedly make the All-Star Game next season, but he needs a spectacular move to become an absolute superstar.

“What more could you ask for? It would be difficult to find a better story. I think this series was much closer to what 4-1 would indicate,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said after the game. He wasn’t wrong, and considering that the Jokic-Murray couple are still very young, Malone’s team has good reason to look further into the future.