Source: CBS Sports, Getty Images
By Mucteba Gokcek
The Lakers versus the Heat did not turn into the series that everyone hoped it would be. The Lakers winning 4-2 seemed too early for the Heat to have ended their season. Everyone expected this series to end up in a close Game 7 based on the way the Heat dominated the Eastern Conference and the Lakers tore up every one of their opponents in the Western Conference. However, it isn’t like the Heat were two very important pieces during the large part of the series. Both Goran Dragic (who tore left plantar fascia early in the series), who averaged 19.1 ppg, and Bam Adebayo (out with neck strain early on in the series also), who averaged 17.8 ppg, were both injured and played very limited minutes. Even though the Heat did have two key players, the Lakers did play very well in order to actually beat the Heat. Anthony Davis and Lebron James led the Lakers with 29.8 ppg and 25 ppg respectively. Meanwhile, the Heat were led by Jimmy Butler with 26.2 points.
It was hard to watch the Heat fall apart nearly every game because of how well they played against every other team in the East, especially considering the fact that the Heat were losing because of injuries. Additionally, it was difficult to watch Butler’s motor die out. After carrying the Heat all the way to Finals, Jimmy Buckets ran out of gas and simply couldn’t go on any longer. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, absolutely dominated on the boards. With Bam Adebayo missing, there was no one to pick Davis up one on one. With the surprising bursts from Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso, the Lakers played well as a team and everyone was able to chip in for the championship.
