If the Miami Heat are to keep their season alive and force a Game 6 in the 2020 NBA Finals, they’ll have to do it without the services of Goran Dragic. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Dragic will once again be unable to play on Friday night, when the team plays the Los Angeles Lakers in a must-win Game 5.
Heat guard Goran Dragic (torn plantar fascia) is missing Game 5 of NBA Finals against the Lakers, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium.
Dragic suffered a torn plantar fasciitis during Game 1 of the series, his first career NBA Finals game. While he’s attempted to play in each of the games since then, Dragic has been unable to take the floor, and the Heat have struggled as a result. The team is currently in a 3-1 hole to the Lakers, and while they won one game in his absence, winning this series without him on the floor would be a Herculean effort.
Prior to his getting hurt, Dragic was playing some of the best basketball of his career in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, averaging 20.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 34.6 minutes per game with the Heat. In his absence, Miami has inserted rookie guard Tyler Herro into the starting lineup for the past three games, while handing over more minutes to Kendrick Nunn off the bench. And of course, Jimmy Butler has taken on a more ball-dominant role.
Before the season is over, it’s meaningful to look back at all of the major highs and lows, and take a moment to meditate on what it’s all been building toward. If the Lakers win a championship tonight, it will be a well-earned finish to an absolute marathon, the longest season in NBA history in one of the most challenging years any of us can ever remember:
At that press conference, Pelinka refers to Davis as “a pillar of this franchise for many years,” even though Davis is only technically under contract for one. It’s indicative of how the Lakers have given Davis power within the organization — he and James were among the voices considered when signing free agents and assembling the team.
The Lakers begin their season with a loss to the Clippers as Leonard plays brilliantly at Staples Center (even though the Clippers “home crowd” greets him with boos). But after, they roll off a seven-game winning streak, the first of several winning streaks that will come to define their regular season.The Getty fire threatens homes in Los Angeles, including James’ Brentwood estate. He and his family evacuate in the middle of the night and search for a hotel (Davis also evacuates, but is able to return more quickly). James later pays for a taco truck to station by the first responders’ base camp in appreciation.
On the first day of the new year, former commissioner David Stern dies, rocking the NBA. James, who battled with Stern especially in the 2011 lockout season, compares his influence to Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball. The solemn moment belies a Lakers season that quickly gets back on track, as the Lakers power through a number of January opponents — even winning games without James or Davis on the floor. Howard, who has been a surprise key bench player, sees his contract become guaranteed.
But the threat of COVID-19 which has been encroaching from the sidelines suddenly mounts an ambush: As the league talks about pulling fans out of games, Utah’s Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus prior to a game in Oklahoma City. It drives Adam Silver to immediately suspend the season.
The union and the NBA come to an agreement to resume at Disney World, which many players have doubts about but agree to in order to save the league’s season revenue and their own paychecks. Just as the NBA announces the agreement, COVID-19 cases begin spiking in Florida, adding to the anxiety.
The death of George Floyd sets off national protests, of which NBA players become a part. Many players who might otherwise be on the court find themselves more invested than ever in off-court concerns, including racial equity and justice. Starting guard Avery Bradley is at the center of a movement of players questioning if a return to play is distracting to these interests — he later opts out, one of the most prominent players on a contending team to do so. Howard nearly follows him, but after much meditation announces he’s joining the Lakers in the bubble on CNN.
James is reportedly at the heart of the movement to get players to participate, even as he structures a voting rights initiative to address other off-court issues. On the 22 teams that attend the bubble, most players decide to participate. The Lakers add J.R. Smith, a longtime James teammate, to replace Bradley.
James said afterward that he was fueled by doubters after the Lakers missed the playoffs in his first season in L.A.: “I heard all the conversations and everything that was said about why did I decide to come to L.A — the reason I came to L.A., it was not about basketball. All those conversations, just naysayers and things of that nature. I understood that, with the season I had last year and my injury, it just gave them more sticks and more wood to throw in the fire to continue to say the things that they would say about me. But it never stopped my journey and never stopped my mindset and never stopped my goal.”
*****
Now the Lakers have the Heat on the brink and a championship almost in hand. There have been more pages to this season than any one ever before. It’s time to see how it ends.
— Kyle Goon
Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon, who is among the few reporters with a credential inside the NBA bubble. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
HOUSTON — Rookie Kyle Wright dazzled for six innings in his postseason debut, and the Atlanta Braves rode their superb pitching to beat the Miami Marlins 7-0 Thursday for a three-game sweep and their first trip to the National League Championship Series since 2001. Atlanta had lost eight straight Division Series, including in each of…
Anyone else saying it and you scoff, because the reality of a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals is that after three months in the league’s quarantine bubble at Disney World this all could be over Friday night. But when Jimmy Butler says it, deride at your own risk, considering the unexpected heights he already…
As LeBron James nears his fourth NBA championship, it appears he is becoming nocturnal in an effort to remain vigilant about the task at hand of closing out the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Prior to a powerful Game 4 win, James reportedly shot his Lakers teammates a text message in the middle of the night with a simple message: That the following night’s game was a must-win.
“We see the message from our leader saying this is a must-win,” Anthony Davis told The Athletic. “and he just left it at that.”
As James would later explain it, the text was not only a byproduct of his fierce competitiveness, but also his inability to fall asleep lately. With Game 4 clinched and the Lakers on the cusp of a championship, James elaborated to reporters about his recent insomnia.
Here’s what he said:
“We understand what’s at stake,” James explained. “The job is not done. We get an opportunity to get our bodies back underneath us with an extra day of rest but also keep our minds sharp. I am looking forward, once again, to looking at the film tomorrow. Do all around the clock treatment and treating it like we play Thursday. I’m going to continue to get the work in and continue to not sleep until the job is done. So, I look forward to the next match.”
It may not seem like a great idea to play a deciding NBA Finals game having not slept in a few days, but at this point James’ judgment probably supersedes ours. If it pays off, he’ll have several months to get plenty of sleep before next season.
There are side effects to the no sleeping plan, as the King gets a little bored late at night in the Bubble. That much was clear when James posted a joking meme overnight following Game 4.
Difficulty sleeping is understandable in James’ position, but it is admittedly pretty funny that he’s actively staying awake in order to keep his game face on.
Mere minutes after losing Game 4 and falling behind 3-1 against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the heavily favored Lakers, members of the Miami Heat got on Zoom and kept talking their talk. “We’ll respond, that’s not even – that’s academic at this point,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the 102-96 loss. “We’ll just rest…
Mere minutes after losing Game 4 and falling behind 3-1 against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the heavily favored Lakers, members of the Miami Heat got on Zoom and kept talking their talk.
“We’ll respond, that’s not even – that’s academic at this point,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the 102-96 loss. “We’ll just rest up tomorrow and get back to work and get ready for the next one.”
It’s one thing to say all the right things; it’s another to believe it. And when Miami, with no more margin for error, claims to be undeterred, and perhaps even inspired by the obstacle in front of them, an opponent probably ought to take that seriously.
And the Lakers will. Over on the Lakers’ Zoom on Tuesday night, James responded to the Heat’s “stick-to-it-iveness” as if he were logged on, listening to what Miami personnel was saying over on the other stream.
“After the Game 3 win, that confidence they had, the confidence they still have even after tonight’s loss, they are just a gritty, so damn-well-coached team,” James said. “If we’re going to be a championship ballclub, if we want to really be a championship team, that we got to have that same grit and that same attitude.”
Because, no, the Heat don’t plan to go quietly in Game 5.
“I’m sure on Friday night, it will be James and Davis on (Jimmy Butler) quite a bit and Jimmy’s not running from that,” said Spoelstra of his star, who couldn’t escape Davis’ shadow Tuesday, when he finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but had to work hard for it two days after he posted just the third 40-point triple-double in NBA Finals history.
Spoelstra acknowledged the Heat would work on strategy to try to create additional space for their star to perform, but overall, he like the idea of the ensuing knock-down, drag-out battle.
“These games may just end up being in the mud,” Spoelstra said. “You have two competitive groups and you just have to figure out how to make some plays at the end, and that’s usually where we figure it out and usually where our group thrives.”
Butler maintained that Miami will have to play “damn near perfect” to beat the Lakers, but suggested if the Heat can screen better and make a few more tough shots, another victory is there for the taking.
Rookie Tyler Herro said he’s learning he has to resist letting the Lakers speed him up. Bam Adebayo – who Tuesday played 33 minutes and had 15 points and seven rebounds in his first action since missing two games with a strained neck – said the Heat need to be more disciplined, avoid putting up shots too early. Spoelstra suggested his team missed a few reads and let some fleeting windows of opportunity close.
In other words, the Heat recognize ways they can improve. Whether they can solve the puzzle is to be determined, but Miami means it when its players say they enjoy this sort of thing.
“Our guys love competition and love the challenge,” Spoelstra said. “We are here for a purpose. We never expected this to be easy. We’ll just rest and recover (Wednesday). Recalibrate, get back to work on Thursday. I know our group’s going to be ready.”
File it under sports science. “The law of averages will come back around: If you have a bad night, typically you’ll have a good night the next night,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel hypothesized when asked Tuesday what he expected from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green before the Lakers’ 102-96 victory in Game 4 of the…
Adebayo planned to play Game 3, and that didn’t happen. But the Heat listed him as doubtful for that game. He’s listed as questionable for Game 4 – which indicates a significantly different situation.
At this point, I’d be shocked if Adebayo doesn’t play tonight.
The bigger question: How much will he help?
Though lesser players than Adebayo overall, Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk are better 3-point shooters. That proved highly effective against the big Lakers in Game 3. Leonard and Olynyk dragging a Los Angeles center to the perimeter gave Jimmy Butler room to attack the basket.
Expect the Lakers to defend Butler more aggressively in Game 4. So, it’s not as if Miami could simply repeat its Game 3 strategy. But Adebayo – better on elbow passing and finishing at the rim – also requires the Heat to adjust.
Ideally for Miami, the upside will come defensively. Adebayo should especially help on the defensive glass.
But the Heat’s Game 3 success against Anthony Davis and LeBron James came with collectively walling off the paint. A single individual defender – even one as good Adebayo – is less important with that team-wide tactic.
Again, though, expect the Lakers to adjust after seeing that paint-protection look. Adebayo is definitely the Miami player best-equipped to defend Davis individually.
Undoubtedly, the Heat will take all the complications that come with Adebayo’s return. But this isn’t a straight case of Miami improving by the amount of Adebayo’s ability. There are tradeoffs with deploying him in this series.
Follow Southern California Newspaper Group’s Kyle Goon as he covers the Lakers during the NBA Finals inside the bubble in Orlando. Read today’s previews and what pundits are saying about tonight’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Heat, which starts at 6 p.m. The Lakers lead the series 2-1, but the…
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Over the course of their time in the NBA bubble, some Lakers have mentioned how hard it is to get away from a bad game. Of all the Lakers who had a disappointing night Sunday in their Game 3 loss to the Heat, Anthony Davis is up there with 15…
“Well, the good thing for me I’m not a big social media guy, so I have it but I don’t really be on it,” he said. “A lot of people get caught up in the news and the social media and what everybody is saying. But I don’t really care about it too much.”
Inside their locker room, however, the Lakers took a long look at film on Monday morning. They cost themselves a chance at a sweep, a chance at leaving the Disney campus as early as Wednesday morning, and a chance to crush Miami’s spirit. Instead, their lead is down to 2-1, and the Heat have a chance to bring back the injured Bam Adebayo in Tuesday’s Game 4 depending on the status of his neck strain.
It’s an opportunity missed for the Lakers, who now are staring down the challenge of extending their lead in the Finals or else tie it up. But in their favor is that the Lakers have yet to lose back-to-back games in these playoffs.
LeBron James, who walked off the court early Sunday night in frustration, said having lost once wasn’t exactly a call to urgency for the Lakers — he’s tried to stay in that mode for the entire series.
“Until the series is completed, I kind of stay on edge, stay locked in on the job at hand,” he said. “Obviously, no one wants to ever lose. You hate that feeling, especially when you know you didn’t play your best, and I definitely wasn’t at my best last night from an individual standpoint.”
The mistake James highlighted was 20 team turnovers, eight he gave up himself. Miami scored 17 points off those giveaways. While James called them “careless,” Coach Frank Vogel was careful to give credit to the Heat for making the Lakers work on their ball movement.
“We were careless in some situations, but I think they took four charges throughout the game, they fronted the post, forced us to make difficult post entry passes,” he said. “So a lot of it was their defense, them being active with their hands. This is what they’re great at, and we didn’t handle it well enough.”
The problem for the Lakers is that Adebayo, the All-Star center that Miami has missed for the last two-and-a-half games, could return at any moment. While Adebayo told media that he couldn’t be sure that he will come back for Tuesday’s Game 4, he said he’s been feeling better since the strain in Game 1.
The Lakers have struggled especially with Kelly Olynyk, who scored 24 points in Game 2 and 17 points in Game 3. The Heat look different with Adebayo in the game, particularly allowing them to switch more with Adebayo’s ability to guard every position. But the flip side is that it will give the Lakers a more conventional look to play against, Kyle Kuzma said.
“Obviously when they have him not in there they’re five out, five space shooters, cutters, movement, and it’s challenging to guard,” Kuzma said. “Obviously, he presents his own challenges as well because he’s a great player and an All-Star. But they’re just two different teams when they’re on and off.”
Internally, the Lakers want to focus on their defense. Davis hit upon how there was little communication on screens and switches that allowed the Heat’s frenetic motion — especially when Butler drove — to take advantage of their mix-ups.
“They were setting screens and slipping to the rim without no one guarding them,” he said. “We were over-helping. We were having blown coverages. There was a lot of space on the floor for guys to drive to the basket with no resistance, no help. Guys were hung up on their man. You could tell that we weren’t ourselves defensively.”
After the first two games when James and Davis ran over the Heat with their scoring, the Lakers are looking to get back to that. But James said he didn’t want to go in with a score-first mentality — he tries not to figure out his hand before he has to play it.
“I’ve never gone into a game saying, ‘OK, I need to score 40 tonight, I need to dominate in the scoring facet, things of that nature, I need to make big shots,’” he said. “One thing I’ve always been, I’ve always been prepared. If you’re prepared, then whatever the game — however the course happens, you’re able to make adjustments throughout the game and you’re able to impact the game because you’re prepared and you’ve put in the work. It’s just that simple for me.”
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NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Heat Monday, October 5, 2020 LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers Practice Day Q. Just wondering what stood out the most to you when you went through the film last night? LeBRON JAMES: Our turnovers. Our turnovers really killed us. We understand that we can’t turn the ball over versus this team. We also had some breakdowns defensively throughout the course of the game that we’re not accustomed to having. Those will be cleaned up in Game 4. Q. You guys have responded pretty well after losses in the playoffs so far. I’m wondering if there’s a common theme between those different times, and are you seeing that same kind of mentality now? LeBRON JAMES: We’re able to take a loss and understand why we lost. Understand things that we should have done better and things that we can apply to the next game to be better. We’re right back at that moment once again with the opportunity to be better than we were in the game before. Look forward to the opportunity tomorrow night. Q. Specifically with Anthony, when he’s had off nights or what have you, he’s always responded in a really big way. He’s talked about you always kind of knowing how to approach him after a night when he’s struggled. What’s your approach been with him today and what do you expect from him tomorrow? LeBRON JAMES: I expect him to be AD. I’m looking forward to getting out on the floor with him once again tomorrow night. Q. You’ve been in the Finals 10 times now. You’ve been up in series, you’ve been down in series. What’s it like to process the time off in between games coming off a loss? LeBRON JAMES: Pretty much the same coming off a win for me. Until the series is completed, I kind of stay on edge, stay locked in on the job at hand. Obviously, no one wants to ever lose. You hate that feeling, especially when you know you didn’t play your best, and I definitely wasn’t at my best last night from an individual standpoint. So I take that responsibility and I take that with a lot of passion and understanding of how I can be much better in the following game. Throughout the postseason, I stay even keel. As I’ve grown in this game and I’ve grown over the years, I kind of stay even keel, understanding that there’s always another opportunity to get better. We have that opportunity today and also tomorrow night in the game. Q. You’re wearing a “More Than a Vote” shirt right now. In terms of trying to influence change, thinking back eight years ago when you wore those hoodies as a statement of Trayvon Martin, what are the biggest things you’ve learned about impacting change off the court? Is there advice you now would have given yourself eight years ago when you kind of started this journey? LeBRON JAMES: That you can’t get caught up in what everybody else thinks, because everyone is not going to always agree with your movement. Everyone is not going to agree with your words. Everyone is not going to agree with your passion. Everyone is not going to always agree with why you’re doing it, things of that nature. If you’re true to it and it hits home and it hits the heart, then it shouldn’t matter. And it doesn’t, because you have the knowledge and you have the passion and you have the support to be able to shed light on situations that you feel are either unjust or wrong. There’s a thing called common sense. You know the difference between right and wrong. It’s something I’ve always grew up on. My mother always told me [about] being able to understand the difference between right and wrong and noticing it and being able to have that feeling. To sit back and think eight years ago when we sat in Detroit in the ballroom as a part of the Miami Heat team, and we all decided to put our hoodies on in a reflection, in a remembrance of Trayvon Martin and that tragic incident, we knew that it was going to be uncomfortable to a lot of people. But we didn’t care, because we understood how much it hit home for us and a lot of our guys having sons of their own. We could imagine if our kid was to leave home and not return. I think that’s what it boils down to. 102332-2-1015 2020-10-05 20:02:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 Q. In terms of talking to opponents on the floor, are you a guy who just responds to trash talk? Do you initiate it? As your status has moved up in the league, has it changed? Have different players said different things or do they not want to talk to you because they don’t want to get you going? How does that equation go? LeBRON JAMES: No, I’ve always been a guy who kind of let his game do the talking. But when guys get to talking, I can do that, as well. I’ve always tried to let my game do the talking. Some guys like to talk their way through the basketball game. I think it helps them out personally. There’s always communication going on on the floor. For me personally, as long as it doesn’t get disrespectful, I’m fine with it. But I’ve never really started up a trash-talking dialogue. That’s just not me. I believe the way I play the game is enough trash talking in itself. Q. From just a strategy standpoint, Bam is the type of big who is obviously a really great playmaker but he doesn’t space the floor so much with his shooting. The guys that Miami plays at the position now, Meyers and Olynyk, both do. How much different does that force you guys to be defensively? You talked about those defensive breakdowns last night. I imagine spacing had something to do with a couple of them. LeBRON JAMES: I think it all boils down to, no matter who’s in the lineup for those guys, they’re a great team. It’s just that simple. They’re going to put you in positions that may feel uncomfortable, that will be uncomfortable, throughout the course of 48 minutes, and we have to be able to adjust. There’s things that Meyers and Kelly do that Bam doesn’t do, but we also understand that there’s things Bam does that not too many guys in this league can do. They create different challenges depending on who’s out on the floor. When there’s five guys out on the floor for the Miami Heat, they’re going to play how they play. They’re going to move the ball, they’re going to move with pace, they’re going to share the ball. They’ve got guys that can get into the paint. They’ve got guys that can shoot threes. They’ve got guys that command double teams and things of that nature. It doesn’t matter who’s out on the floor for them; they’re going to be playing at a high level because that’s just the way they are. They’re extremely well-coached from top to bottom. Q. You’ve always prided yourself on playing the right way. You still have those moments like the fourth quarter against Denver in the close-out game where you’re like, this is going to end now and you go to that place. Jimmy parallels you in that regard in that he doesn’t want to have the ball in his hands every possession; he wants to get other guys involved. And then you saw last night what he ends up doing. Are you in that space yet where you think you might have to go that tack to close this thing out and go to that fourth-quarter-Bron-against-Denver mode, like we’ve seen so many times from you in the past? Or are you not there yet? LeBRON JAMES: I’ve never predetermined my game plan throughout my whole career. I’ve never gone into a game saying, okay, I need to score 40 tonight, I need to dominate in the scoring facet, things of that nature, I need to make big shots. I’ve never predetermined my game. Throughout my whole life, I’ve never done that. One thing I’ve always been, I’ve always been prepared. If you’re prepared, then whatever the game — however the course happens, you’re able to make adjustments throughout the game and you’re able to impact the game because you’re prepared and you’ve put in the work. It’s just that simple for me. I think anytime I’ve ever thought about, okay, I’m going to try to go out and do this, it doesn’t happen that way. The game has too many things that can happen throughout the course of the game and throughout the course of a quarter or possessions here and possessions there where you can try to plan for it, but audibles happen in the football sense. The best thing I can tell you is that I’m always prepared and I know that I’ve put in the work. I trust that. Q. Early in the pandemic you mentioned that your body was kind of in shock, that you were rounding toward third base for the playoffs and then you had to stop. All these months later, how would you say your body has responded to all that? LeBRON JAMES: I’m in great shape. I bounce back extremely well in between games. I could play right now if we had to play right now, at a high level. FastScripts by ASAP Sports.
NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Heat Sunday, October 4, 2020 Frank Vogel Los Angeles Lakers Game 3: Postgame Miami Heat 115, Los Angeles Lakers 104 Q. I know you talked about this in the first quarter interview, the 10 turnovers in that first quarter, how did you think that was emblematic of just the general effort, if at all? FRANK VOGEL: It wasn’t about effort. It was just about execution, but again credit their defense. They played a terrific game, forced a lot of those turnovers. We’ll look at the tape and see how we can be better. Q. You mentioned the turnovers. Does it feel like a different series now? Obviously they got their first win on the board, but with the looming potential return of Bam Adebayo, what does it feel like preparing for Game 4 as you turn the page? FRANK VOGEL: Well, we’ve had great respect for this team from the start. That didn’t change after Game 1 and that didn’t change after Game 2. Even with guys out, we still have great respect and we saw that in Game 2 what they are capable of from an offensive firepower standpoint and defensive competitiveness standpoint. So they are going to be a great opponent with those guys or without them. Q. It’s another tough night for Danny and KCP, obviously in that starting lineup, they held space and it’s a dangerous weapon against the zone. What do you see out of their performance the last two games, and they have been through slumps before, but is there a way to get them through that? FRANK VOGEL: Yeah, just stay the course. Those guys have been fine. They have been great for us all year. We have to execute as a group better. If we execute as a group better, have more intent to get higher shot quality, then those guys will be fine. Q. Did it bother you at all that a couple of your players walked off the court before the game was over with? FRANK VOGEL: I think they thought the game was over. I don’t think they realized there was point-whatever still on the clock. Q. Did you think you got thrown out rhythm by the early foul trouble? I know LeBron came back in pretty quickly. FRANK VOGEL: What was the question? Q. Did you think you never got a rhythm with the Davis early foul trouble in that first quarter? FRANK VOGEL: Yeah, I mean, I think that impacted us some but we’ve been in foul trouble before, and you have to play through it. That’s part of the game. We see that all throughout the course of the season and in the playoffs, and you know, you have to be able to adapt and adjust. Probably had a small factor on our offensive rhythm, but we’ve just got to be better overall on both ends. Q. Jimmy Butler in his walk-off interview mentioned the key to this series is keeping you guys off the boards. How do you guys play the way you want to play while also limiting Jimmy Butler? FRANK VOGEL: We definitely have to do a better job on Jimmy. What did he have, 40 and 13? Identifying the right situations to help, the right situations not to help. We didn’t do a good job in those situations, but obviously we’ll look at the tape and see ways we can be better. FastScripts by ASAP Sports
The view from left field 