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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James returned to his hotel suite after Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday morning. At 6:30 a.m., he was already tweeting images to announce to his 47.6 million followers that he was wide awake.
When the season is over, he will sleep a lot.
Until then, your cycle will be a total disaster.
Like it or not, the NBA Finals are on hiatus until Friday (Saturday Manila time), the first two-day break in this series between the Lakers and Miami Heat. When Game Five happens, the Lakers will enter the series 3-1 and on the brink of their 17th NBA championship.
“For me, I mean, at this point in the season, I don’t care about the break,” James said. “I really don’t. I don’t mind sleeping. I don’t mind resting throughout the game. … I don’t mind resting because I can rest in a week at the most. “
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Maybe soon. James’ teams, two in Miami, one in Cleveland, are 3-0 in final games when they are within a championship win. Of all time, their teams are 38-10 in games where they have opportunities to pay off.
Clearly, James does not like to wait for the opportunity to get hold of a series.
“They are going to make adjustments. We have to be prepared for it, ”Lakers forward Anthony Davis said of the Heat, who are facing an elimination game for the first time in these playoffs. “We are going to make adjustments. It will be two great days for us. Get out of Game Five and hopefully finish it. “
Game 4 on Tuesday night was the first game of this series; the Lakers won, 102-96, both teams finished the game with a series minimum of touchdowns and Miami shot 42.7% from the floor, the series low. Some of that could simply have been the defenses catching up with the offenses, but it could also have been the price of four highly competitive games played over a seven-day span.
“Our guys love the competition and they love the challenge,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “We are here for a purpose. We never expected this to be easy. We will rest and recover. I think everyone could probably use that a bit. Recalibrate, go back to work Thursday. “
Miami’s Jimmy Butler has played more minutes than anyone else in the series, averaging nearly 42 per game. The Heat have barely been able to get him out; Butler has accumulated 45, 45 and 43 minutes in his last three games, respectively, numbers that no one else in these finals has reached even once.
He is not willing to show fatigue.
“Our confidence is going nowhere,” Butler said. “It will stay high, I’ll make sure it stays high, because it will have to be at its highest to get this next victory.”
The Heat could use a couple of days off from a health standpoint. It is unclear – doubtful is probably the best word – whether point guard Goran Dragic can play soon due to the torn plantar fascia in his left foot. But recovering All-Star center Bam Adebayo from a neck injury for Game 4 was an advantage, although he confessed that he is not 100%.
“I feel that collectively we all need two days off,” Adebayo said. “It’s not just me, it’s not just Goran, but we all need a couple of days to readjust, realign, get some fresh air, and get back to the drawing board.”
From the Heat’s perspective, that is indeed the case.
For the Lakers, waiting can be the hardest part. The opportunity for the franchise’s first title in 10 years looms, and James, who has great respect for Spoelstra, his former Miami coach, is sure the Heat will not walk away easily.
“I know Spo goes into the fifth game,” James said. “That is the best part of it. It’s a game of chess. “
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