(Lake Buena Vista) The NBA season has had its ups and downs, but for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers it ended in euphoria and on top of the basketball planet.
For the first time since Kobe Bryant's fifth and final title 10 years ago, the Lakers are NBA champions with a convincing 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
The Lakers won the final in six games and got their hands on the 17 th title in their history, matching Boston Celtics for the highest total in the NBA. During their last conquest, they had just defeated the Celtics in seven games.
LeBron James, who was named the final MVP, had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the California team. This is his fourth career championship ring and he signed the title with a third team, having triumphed with the Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony Davis had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who went through a lot of emotions after Bryant's tragic death in January. They also overcame other challenges, including playing in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World for three months with no fans.
Bam Adebayo had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, which saw Jimmy Butler register just 12 points. In his first season with the Heat, Butler helped the team return to the top tier of the NBA.
The league's move into a bubble, which had been orchestrated after a four-and-a-half-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore ends this way. So is this particular season, in which the NBA was embroiled in a political conflict with China, saw former commissioner David Stern give up the ghost and learned the horrific news of the death. of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash. The Lakers players have said they will play the rest of the season in honor of Bryant. They accomplished what Bryant had managed to do five times for the Los Angeles team.
The sixth game of the final was essentially over at the half, as the Lakers led 64-36. The Heat have never been in the game, they haven't been able to shoot their shots from anywhere on the pitch, and they haven't played with the same intensity.
The Lakers did what they wanted on the field from the first whistle. They outscored the Heat 36-16 in the second quarter, even though James only managed one shot during that span.
Rajon Rondo, who scored 19 points and became the first player to win the title with the Celtics and Lakers, had his six shots in the first half. It was the first time since November 2007 that he had achieved the feat.
The Lakers' 28-point lead at the half was the second-largest in NBA Finals history. Only the Celtics had done better against the Lakers on May 27, 1985, leading 79-49. The Heat showed signs of life in the second half and went on a 23-8 streak to come close to 21 points behind the Lakers with 8:37 to go, but a few minutes later the celebrations were already underway on the side lines.
