- Lakers can win record-tying 17th NBA title with win
- China state television to air Game 5 after one-year ban
- Tweet Hunter at @HunterFelt or email him
Final thoughts
Well, I was extremely wrong here. I thought that everything was aligned for the Lakers to cap off the season with a nice easy blowout victory today. Instead we got maybe the most heart-poundingly exciting game of the postseason. The Miami Heat are still very much longshots to win a championship, they have left themselves literally no margin of error, but they are still alive. Meanwhile, the Lakers know that they had a shot of ending this series and finally escaping the Bubble and going home. Now, now they have to prepare for Game 6.
Jimmy Butler
Butler scored 35 points on 11-for-19 shooting, alongside 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He even made a three-pointer. Meanwhile, Duncan Robinson went 7-for-13 from three-point range and it felt like he made more, but it was just the performance from a teammate that Butler needed to complete this victory.
Everybody was ready to crown the Los Angeles Lakers tonight but Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat had other plans. The Lakers are still up 3-2 in the series but now they will have to play a Game 6 on Sunday!
Heat 111-108 Lakers, FINAL
The announcers are giving their thoughts on what the Heat will do here: don’t let LeBron beat you seems to be the idea. Green misses a three-pointer, Morris gets a rebound but he throws it out of bounds. Tyler Herro comes into the game to get the ball, and the second play resumes, the Lakers foul him.
Heat 109-108 Lakers, 16.8 seconds, 4th quarter
It doesn’t really get more exciting than this. Butler goes in for a layup which he misses but he gets the contact he was looking for and he’s going to be on the line. That’s the third foul on Davis. Butler makes the first free throw. Tied game. And the second. The Lakers take their last timeout.
Heat 107-108 Lakers, 21.8 seconds, 4th quarter
KCP misses a three pointer but Anthony Davis gets the rebound and lays it in! The Lakers are up one! The Heat take a timeout here: this is their season. Very literally.
Heat 107-106 Lakers, 46.7 seconds, 4th quarter
Butler’s about as reliable free throw shooter as there are, but they don’t get bigger than this. The first, is right down the middle. The second? The same. Heat are up by one.
Heat 105-106 Lakers, 46.7 seconds, 4th quarter
LeBron gets the ball and you know that he’s not going to miss. On the other end, Butler does what he’s been doing all series: he draws a foul in the act of shooting. He will get two shots but the Heat call a timeout just to give him a sorely-needed breather.
Heat 105-104 Lakers, 1:13, 4th quarter
LeBron makes the free throw! Lakers lead!
Heat 103-103 Lakers, 1:34, 4th quarter
KCP’s latest three-point attempt… bounces out. Still tied up. Heat ball. Butler pulls up and lets one go, it’s good. The Heat are back ahead. Lebron goes in for a layup on the other end and it’s good and he’s fouled for a chance for the lead.
Heat 101-101 Lakers, 2:52, 4th quarter
KCP misses a three-pointer but LeBron gets to the line. He makes both and we’re all tied up!
Heat 101-99 Lakers, 3:16, 4th quarter
Butler steals the ball from Caruso. It looks like Butler scores but the officials confer and say that it was shot after the foul. However, this ends up benefitting the Heat as Robinson, of course, hits a three pointer to put the Heat back up front!
Heat 98-99 Lakers, 4:09, 4th quarter
And Robinson gets called on a foul. Herro tries a jumper that doesn’t go. On the other end, Danny Green has a chance to put the Lakers ahead big but he misses. Robinson finds Adebayo for a dunk and it’s just a one-point Lakers lead!
Heat 96-99 Lakers, 5:08, 4th quarter
The ball’s back in Jimmy Butler’s hands. Does he have any magic left? Well, the Lakers defense doesn’t let him make any. Crowder attempts a three that’s no good. On the other, KCP (who is having a game) dunks to extend the Lakers lead.
That’s the thing about NBA games: it doesn’t matter how long you have the lead it only matters when you have the lead. The Miami Heat have completely out-played the Los Angeles Lakers all-game, but they never could hold them off. LeBron James would keep hitting threes or (in this half) Anthony Davis would find his way to the free throw line. It was never comfortable, not even for a second, and now L.A. has finally broken through. How will Miami respond?
Heat 96-97 Lakers, 6:18, 4th quarter
Bam Adebayo with a wild shot which is not what Miami wanted there especially since Caldwell-Pope hits a three-pointer on the other end. Just like that, the Lakers have their first lead since the first quarter and Miami takes a timeout!
Heat 96-94 Lakers, 6:43, 4th quarter
Iguodala picks up his fifth foul, this one puts Davis back on the line yet again. He hits both and it’s a two-point game.
Heat 96-92 Lakers, 6:52, 4th quarter
Kendrick Nunn with a three! LeBron responds with a dunk! The intensity is not decreasing.
Heat 93-90 Lakers, 8:06, 4th quarter
Crowder fouls Davis, his free throws are helping the Lakers keep in this one, and he cuts this down to a one-possession game.
Heat 93-88 Lakers, 8:12, 4th quarter
Livebloggers should get a challenge flag that we can throw at the networks to challenge them for showing certain commercials way too many times while we’re on duty. I would throw it at “The New Chris Paul” ads.
Heat 93-85 Lakers, 9:05, 4th quarter
Butler snatches the ball away from a well-guarded LeBron. Robinson tries again, but he misses for the first time in maybe ages. James goes on the rampage on the other end but he’s called for an offensive foul! The Lakers challenge it under the “LeBron doesn’t get called for a charge” rule.
Heat 93-85 Lakers, 9:39, 4th quarter
Whenever the Lakers need to mount a comeback, LeBron James lets it fly from downtown. Another successful three-pointer keeps the Lakers on the prowl.
Heat 93-82 Lakers, 10:31, 4th quarter
Oof, Adebayo just flat-out misses a dunk. That’s not what you need to do in a potential elimination game. Luckily for him, the Heat get possession after a rare LeBron James bad pass. Here, Adebayo gets fouled and goes to the free throw line. He makes both.
Heat 91-82 Lakers, 11:26, 4th quarter
Rondo starts of the fourth with a miss and it’s Heat ball. Guess who hits a three-pointer. Yep, here’s to you Mr. Robinson for making this a game.
Well, the Heat are 12 minutes away for proving me incredibly wrong for the second time in three games. If they do, let the record show that Duncan Robinson’s shooting that has kept the Lakers at bay here.
Heat 88-82 Lakers, end of the 3rd quarter
Robinson makes his free throw, he’s up to 20 points. Meanwhile, Davis goes to the line for the second time and hits both of his free throws. Butler finds Adebayo for a dunk in response and Adebayo ends the third quarter by blocking Rondo’s shot! That’s how you end a quarter.
Heat 85-80 Lakers, 37.2 seconds, 3rd quarter
Lakers just can’t seem to get a field goal here, but Iguodala puts Davis on the line for the first time today. He hits both. On the other end, Duncan Robinson continues his hot three-point shooting, hitting a 27-footer AND getting fouled on the attempt.
Heat 82-78 Lakers, 1:23, 3rd quarter
Caruso attempts a layup and gets called for an offensive foul. Butler draws the charge, according to the ref at least. In any case, Davis blocks the shot on the other end giving the Lakers another chance. Rondo attempts a three that he really shouldn’t have.
Heat 82-78 Lakers, 2:47, 3rd quarter
Crowder hits the free throw. On the other end, LeBron knows he has to make something happen and he draws a foul, another one on Old Man Andre Iguodala. Lebron makes one of two.
Heat 81-77 Lakers, 3:01, 3rd quarter
The Heat have the ball, get a lot of good movement, but it all ends with a Jae Crowder miss. I feel like I’ve typed that a lot in this series. Lakers will a golden opportunity here, but Rondo can’t score. On the other end, Crowder actually makes a three! AND HE GETS FOULED! It’s a four-point opportunity!
Heat 78-77 Lakers, 4:01, 3rd quarter
LeBron finds Kuzma for a layup and after all that, the Heat lead is one measly point. The Heat take another timeout, maybe to discuss what more they can possibly do here.
Heat 78-75 Lakers, 4:00, 3rd quarter
Rondo with one of his patented “no no yes!” three attempts, but this one is a “no no nope.” Butler misses on one end and Davis scores on the other. After all that, it’s back to a one-possession game.
Heat 78-73 Lakers, 5;24, 3rd quarter
Maybe Tyler Herro will be the Heat’s other hero? He makes a layup but… well there’s LeBron again and he hits yet another three. No separation allowed here.
Heat 76-70 Lakers, 6:04, 3rd quarter
It’s ruled a Flagrant 1 on Howard. Butler goes to the line for two free throws. He hits both and the Heat maintain possession and Robinson hits a three-pointer!
I’m not saying that Howard hit was on purpose, but do remember that he and Butler got into it back in the first quarter, picking up a double-technical. In any case, the Lakers have taken a timeout here and we’ll see what the aftermath of this will be shortly.
Heat 72-70 Lakers, 6:41, 3rd quarter
Butler unties the game by making a tip-shot but Dwight Howard hits his head and that’s gotta be a flagrant foul on him. Just ugly.
Heat 70-70 Lakers, 7:03, 3rd quarter
LeBron misses a three-pointer. The Heat should capitalize here, but the Lakers defense prevents them from getting anything out of it. Davis steals the ball on a bad pass and KCP ties the game with a three-pointer!
Heat 70-67 Lakers, 7:51, 3rd quarter
Butler finds Adebayo for a dunk, he’s trying to get him going. Oh look, Dwight Howard is actually heading to the free throw line. This takes me back. He hits both free throws. That, however, is new.
Heat 66-65 Lakers, 9:05, 3rd quarter
Anthony Davis makes a three-pointer, that heel contusion must be feeling pretty okay by now. Robinson answers with a long-ball on the other end, though.
Heat 63-59 Lakers, 10:26, 3rd quarter
James finds KCP for a three in response. Finding separation seems to be the issue here.
Heat 63-56 Lakers, 11:09, 3rd quarter
There we go. FINALLY Crowder hits a three-pointer, give the assist to Tyler Herro.
Heat 60-56 Lakers, 11:37, 3rd quarter
Crowder misses a three. Well that’s not going to help.
Second half prediction
I still say that the Lakers take a big lead in the third quarter. You can feel it coming and Jimmy Butler is doing everything possible to keep a lid on them but he can’t do it alone. If the Heat don’t find a second player to step up big, this is going to be a blowout by the fourth quarter.
LeBron is at this point where he’s just copying his previous accomplishments.
20+ points and 80+ FG% in the first half of an #NBAFinals game since 1997:
Jason Terry – 2006 Game 1
Tim Duncan – 2013 Game 6
Draymond Green – 2016 Game 7
LeBron James – 2018 Game 1
LeBron James – 2020 Game 5
Now, if the Lakers do manage to end the series in the next two quarters, it’s pretty obvious that LeBron is going to be the MVP. He’s gone 9-for-11 and, as previously noted, 3-for-4 from the three-point line.
Jimmy Butler
Once again, the main reason that Miami are ahead is that Jimmy Butler is the best player on the court. He’s gone 7-for-10 with that three-pointer which… Jimmy Butler is the exact opposite of a three-point shooter, he didn’t attempt a single one during his mammoth Game 3 performance. If there ever was a sign that maybe the Basketball Gods are smiling on Miami, it’s in him ending the half with that shot from long distance.
Well I was wrong about this one being decided early. The Heat hang on to a lead heading into the second half, but it feels like the Lakers absolutely have all the momentum here.
Heat 60-56 Lakers, end of the first half
Rondo gets fouled and gets to the line and makes it a one-point game. Miami is in the Danger Zone here.
Heat 54-51 Lakers, 1:16, 2nd quarter
Butler gets Kuzma to bite on a fake and that puts him on the line. That’s been the bread-and-butter for Miami whenever they’ve been ahead. He makes both, as if there was any doubt.
Heat 50-47 Lakers, 2:03, 2nd quarter
Remember how the Heat had a 11 point lead a few minutes ago? Well Davis finds Kuzma for a layup and the Heat call a very desperate timeout. It’s a one-possession game and their season feels like it’s teetering.
Heat 50-45 Lakers, 2:32, 2nd quarter
The Lakers go on their run. KCP scores, LeBron scores and gets fouled.
Heat 50-41 Lakers, 3:24, 2nd quarter
Davis gets called for an iffy-looking foul. He’s upset but Robinson makes both of his free throws and that’s all that matters on the scoreboard. Kendrick Nunn tips in a Crowder miss…
Heat 46-39 Lakers, 4:16, 2nd quarter
Butler with a steal on Davis! Yet the Heat can’t cash it in. On the other end, Caruso hits a three-pointer. That feels like a turning point.
Heat 46-36 Lakers, 5:22, 2nd quarter
Miami needs to make something happen this possession, so the ball gets into Jimmy Butler’s hands and he hits a floater to extend the Heat lead.
Here’s the thing: this is as great as the Miami Heat could possibly play, they even had a benefit of Davis’s injury clearly rattling the Lakers, yet they look up and it’s only a six point lead and LeBron James has decided to play the role of Steph Curry.
Heat 42-36 Lakers, 6:05, 2nd quarter
LeBron James hits another three-pointer, that makes him 3-for-4 and that leads Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout.
Heat 42-33 Lakers, 6:12, 2nd quarter
Bam Adebayo can’t get a basket but he can pick up yet another foul on Danny Green. That’s his third and he’s hitting the bench here. Adebayo makes one of two free throws.
Heat 41-33 Lakers, 7:01, 2nd quarter
LeBron James needs to step up here and he, of course, does so. Davis finds him for a three-pointer that the Lakers really need.
Heat 41-30 Lakers, 8:18, 2nd quarter
Kuzma gets fouled by Bam Adebayo, he misses the first free throw but, hey, there’s Anthony Davis. That’s the best news for Los Angeles. Kuzma makes the second free throw.
Heat 38-29 Lakers, 8:46, 2nd quarter
We’ll see if the Lakers righten the ship here now that they know that Davis’s injury isn’t as serious as they may have thought. Well, Caruso finds LeBron for an alley-oop. Butler misses on the other end, but gets his rebound and scores over Markieff Morris.
Heat 36-27 Lakers, 9:22, 2nd quarter
LeBron with a three pointer. Davis is sitting near the bench, apparently he’s reaggravated a previous injury, a right heel contusion. He is available to return, which is a huge relief for the Lakers.
Heat 31-24 Lakers, 11:02, 2nd quarter
The Heat come out strong, Nunn scores on their first two possessions. Bam Adebayo then unleashes a dunk.
This looks to be a non-contact injury for Anthony Davis, which is not great. The early reports are somewhat more assuring:
Looked like Davis pushed off his right leg to go up in the air and then couldn’t extend his leg back out to land after hitting the back of his foot/leg on Robinson’s leg and was in pain. Hopefully just a charley horse.
Heat 25-24 Lakers, end of the 1st quarter
Davis is up and walking to the bench. It’s hard to see how exactly the injury happened.
Heat 25-22 Lakers, 48.4 seconds, 1st quarter
Rondo finds Kuzma, who hits this time around. Robinson hits a three-pointer on the other end… and oh no Davis is grabbing his ankle. The Lakers have to take a full timeout and this could be huge.
Heat 22-20 Lakers, 1:38, 1st quarter
Lakers don’t score out of the timeout, Kyle Kuzma misses a shot. Jimmy Butler hits a jumper and it’s a 9-0 run for the Heat. Their season isn’t dead yet!
Heat 20-18 Lakers, 3:10, 1st quarter
Kendrick Nunn hits a three-pointer which is a sign to Lakers head coach Frank Vogel that he should call a timeout, which he promptly does.
Heat 17-18 Lakers, 3:54, 1st quarter
Howard makes a bad pass that Butler steals. Crowder’s three is no good but Robinson dunks it in and it’s a one-point game.
Heat 15-18 Lakers, 4:01, 1st quarter
The Heat go small and get nothing on this possession, Duncan Robinson drives to the basket but can’t connect. KCP has to let one go with the shot clock winding down and that’s no good either. On the other end, Butler draws a foul from Howard. On the line once more, Butler makes both.
Heat 13-18 Lakers, 4:59, 1st quarter
Oh I guess Crowder heard me and he scores on this pass. Anthony Davis scores on the other end, however, and that will get the Heat to take a timeout.
Heat 11-16 Lakers, 5:36, 1st quarter
KCP’s three-pointer doesn’t go down. Butler finds Crowder with a nice pass, but Crowder’s rough series continues as he misses. LeBron scores on the other side.
So a Lakers win would mean Rondo has won two rings – both helping franchises win their 17th title…
Arch-rivals at that! Although, Rondo helping both the Celtics and the Lakers win championships feels right: he’s got that cold-blooded evil genius approach to the game. (I say this as an admirer, I want to emphasize that.)
Heat 11-14 Lakers, 6:50, 1st quarter
Butler and Howard are getting at it on the court and the commentator’s wisely point out that the Heat need Butler more than the Lakers need Howard. That’s a double technical, which is a win for L.A.
Heat 11-10 Lakers, 7:43, 1st quarter
Duncan Robinson gets a three to add to the Heat lead but KCP gets an old-fashioned three in return. Fouled on a layup by Jae Crowder he goes to the line and sinks a free throw. It’s a one-point game.
Heat 8-7 Lakers, 8:35, 1st quarter
Tyler Herro with a nice-looking floater puts Miami ahead briefly, but Danny Green hits a jumper in response.
Heat 4-5 Lakers, 9:58, 1st quarter
Danny Green tries to block Jimmy Butler, but he’s called for a foul. Butler goes to the line, where he’s spent a lot of his time this series, and hits two free throws.
Heat 2-3 Lakers, 10:34, 1st quarter
Bam Adebayo gets the scoring going with a dunk but Danny Green responds with a three-pointer.
Heat 0-0 Lakers, 11:40, 1st quarter
And we’re off! The Lakers get the ball first, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope fires and misses.
I just realized that Dwight Howard is very likely to be the starting center on a world champion Lakers team. This is not something any of us could have predicted a few years ago.
Email from Curtis Brown:
I am looking for a celebrity mention I chose the Lakers to win game 5.
AD is the MVP
A vote for AD. The NBA Countdown crew mostly were going with LeBron. Well, there’s a chance we’ll get the answer in a few hours here.
For the record, if the Heat win tonight. Game 6 is 7:30 pm EST on Sunday. That’s one more motivating factor for the Lakers: they would much rather get their win now then have to compete with Sunday Night Football.
Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo, when asked if his future is in coaching, immediately says that he might be more interested in being a general manager which is… completely in line with his personality. Let’s just say that his decisions wouldn’t be impacted by sentimental concerns.
And we are 13 minutes into this pregame and we have the first indication that the Miami Heat are also participating in the NBA Finals with a split-second acknowledgment that Jimmy Butler exists.
Nas and Rihanna are expected to be amongst the virtual fans in the crowd for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Here is the full list of celebrities. pic.twitter.com/xxrhJQurwT
Okay, I’m just going to flat out say this: Mickey Mouse, not being a living entity, shouldn’t count as a celebrity.
NBA Countdown has begun and we’re already dipping into the LeBron James/Michael Jordan argument. Let’s face it: it’s the main narrative at play in this particular NBA Finals. With a fourth championship, LeBron James will continue to add to his ridiculous list of accomplishments as he continues his quest to rival or perhaps surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player in history.
Jordan, of course, has six championships to go along with six Finals MVP awards, and there will be many who won’t even compare the two until James at least ties him with the number of rings. Here’s the thing: James, despite being 35, is still one of the best players in the league and it’s possible that with Anthony Davis, he’s found his ideal partner. Yes, James will start to decline, not even he will be able to defeat Father Time, but Davis very well could be on the cusp of being the best player in the entire league. It’s not impossible that this season is merely the start of the next stage of his career.
The NBA is back on television in China for the first time in what feels like decades. You’re forgiven if you find it hard to remember after all that’s happened afterward, but the NBA and China had a huge riff after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out a tweet in support of anti-government protestors in Hong Kong. Well, they’ve apparently decided to settle their differences just in time for what could very well be the final game of the 2019-20 season. Well, better late than never?
Related: China state television to air Game 5 of NBA finals after one-year ban
Greetings from Australia, Hunter!
After starting the series wanting to see a Heat win (Jimmy Buckets has Jordan’s weirdly endearing sociopathy) I’ve been caught up in LeBron’s chance to make history.
Do you think he’s done enough to be MVP or will AD wreck it?
I thought Davis was the MVP frontrunner until his awful performance in Game 3. Honestly, I think this is one of those cases where whoever has the most impressive performance in the closeout game will win it.
One of the reasons that Miami won Game 3 was that they took advantage of a surprisingly sloppy Lakers team that came in as if they were mentally expecting to sweep the Heat. The sheer number of Lakers turnovers in that game are second only to Butler’s Game 3 performance in the list of reasons that there is still basketball going on right now.
Don’t expect them to mentally take this game for granted. They are coming into this game with the mindset that they are going to shut things down. Their decision to wear the Black Mamba tribute jerseys in honor of late Lakers great Kobe Bryant should be evidence enough of that.
The Lakers have made the switch to wear their Black Mamba uniforms for Game 5 of the #NBAFinals
LA is 4-0 this season when wearing these jerseys. pic.twitter.com/SMgrXolJNk
Predictions
This is the point where I once again reiterate the fact that I feel like this series is over. I’ll gladly take the L here, but it feels like Miami’s last chance at altering this series was in Game 4. I feel like the Lakers take a lead relatively early and by the third quarter it’s going to be so out-of-hand that we’re already going to be spending our time talking about where this win would fit in Lakers history and starting in with the LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan argument.
Could Dragic’s foot injury in Game 1 of the Finals go down as the turning point of this series? ESPN’s Zach Lowe made a case that his absence essentially put the Heat in an impossible situation:
The Heat gave up a lot to rescue him. The payoff waxed and waned — until this postseason, when Dragic played some of the best basketball of his life.
You felt his absence down the stretch of Game 4. With the Butler-Adebayo fulcrum stymied, Miami searched for offense — mostly leaning on Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro rocketing off picks. The Lakers were ready.
Injury Report
There was a little chatter about point guard Goran Dragic attempting to find a way to play in Game 4, despite his torn plantar fascia. That didn’t happen. Perhaps if Miami had tied up the series on Tuesday we probably would have heard more, but with Miami’s chances growing slimmer it seemed highly unlikely that anything would change as far as Dragic’s Game 5 availability. Indeed, he’s listed as out alongside PG Gabe Vincent.
Preamble
Welcome to what very well could be the end of the longest and most surreal NBA season ever. While those of us without a rooting interest in these Finals are probably hoping that the Miami Heat can find a way to extend the season with a win against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, we should admit that it’s something of a minor miracle that we’ve reached the point at all. Despite overwhelming odds against them, the league figured out a way to restart the season, after an extended break, without exposing their employees to a Covid-19 outbreak. The Bubble, despite the legitimate fears many of us had before the season resumed at Walt Disney World, has not burst.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Etan Thomas’s column from today looking back on his experiences facing LeBron James during his playing days.
Related: LeBron ended my NBA title hopes three times. He’s even better now – in every sense
