Coming into 2019-20 NBA season, the goal for the Los Angeles Lakers was to get back to the Playoffs after a franchise-long six-year absence. Then it was about winning a title. After over a four-month hiatus because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and a 3-5 record in the restart in Orlando, FL there was some doubt if the Lakers could reach their ultimate goal. On Sunday night, they did reach that ultimate goal led by their dynamic All-Star duo.
Behind a triple-double of 28 points, 14
rebounds and 10 assists on 13 for 20 shooting by 2020 Finals MVP LeBron James
and a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, with two blocks by Anthony
Davis, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers won Game 6 of the
2020 NBA Finals 106-93 over the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat at the
Advent Health Arena on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday night on
ABC. That victory in Game 6, that won the championship series 4-2 clinched the
Lakers 17th title in franchise history, tying the archrival Boston
Celtics for the most Larry O’Brien trophies in the National Basketball
Association.
For the Lakers, this was their first
championship in a decade, when the late great Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to
their last title in the 2010 Finals over the aforementioned Celtics in seven
games.
What made this championship even more
special is the fact that the Lakers and the NBA as a whole were able to
conclude their season in the middle of the Coronavirus Pandemic as well as put
a spotlight on two very incredible issues also happening in our nation and
world like social injustice and voter suppression.
The two members of the Lakers organization
that put the roster and coaching staff together over the last two summers that
made their 17th title a reality were Owner Jeanie Buss and Vice
President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
Ms. Buss during the Larry O’Brien trophy
presentation first thanked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, the 22 NBA squads that
participated in the restart, and the 6,500 employees at the ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex and those that worked at the Hotel’s at Disneyworld, and all the
medical people that made sure that not one positive COVID-19 test happened
during the league’s restart. She especially thanked the teams that the Lakers
defeated during this title run in the No. 8 Seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the
First-Round; the Houston Rockets in the West Semifinals; the Denver Nuggets in
the Western Conference Finals and the Heat in The Finals for the “honor of
sharing this court with them.”
“On behalf of the Laker organization, Rob
Pelinka, thank you,” Ms. Buss added. “Coach [Frank] Vogel, the coaching staff,
training staff, all our employees back home in Los Angeles for your tireless
work in making this happen.”
Ms. Buss went on to thank the team as well
for their “hard work, professionalism and dedication” both on and off the court
as they wrote their own inspiring chapter in the history for one of the
greatest franchises in professional sports.
That professionalism and dedication to the
game of basketball and to being a great example of professionalism off the
floor is what Kobe Bryant was all about in helping the Lakers to win five of
their 17 titles.
Bryant, his second oldest daughter Gianna,
along with seven others were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
This trophy Ms. Buss also said during the
presentation serve as a reminder that when we all work together, show a belief
in each other, that incredible things can happen. On top of that, Ms. Buss said
that when it is safe, she and the entire Lakers organization look forward to
celebrating this triumphant moment in a season unlike any other.
“Until then, I will bring back the trophy
to Los Angeles where it belongs,” Ms. Buss concluded.
Seeing over the dedication and commitment
to winning this title was first-year head coach Frank Vogel, who defeated an
Erik Spoelstra coached Heat team for the first time in the postseason three
straight years while the head man on the Indiana Pacers sidelines, including
twice in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven and six games respectably. The
person also responsible for those defeats, which included a six-game setback in
the East Semifinals was James.
This title is particularly special for
Coach Vogel because he was not the Lakers first choice but ended up being the
right choice.
The positive, even keel, defensive minded
focus he brought was just what this team needed to get out of the gates like
they did in the early part of the season. To navigate a 3-5 mark during the
seeding games. To form a stellar partnership with the star duo of James and
Davis, and getting them as well as the rest of the team to buy in to playing
defense; leaving their individual egos at the door, and keeping the focus on
the end goal of winning a title.
That was on full display on Sunday night,
when the Lakers held the Heat to 44.3 percent from the field in Game 6,
including 10 for 28 from three-point range. After not taking care of the
basketball in recent games in The Finals, only committed 14 turnovers in a
wire-to-wire victory where they led by as man as 36 points in the third quarter.
The forced the Heat into 15 turnovers scoring 20 off their miscues
James set the tone in the opening period
with nine points, five rebounds and three assists, on 4 for 5 shooting, while
Davis had eight points and three boards on 4 for 6 from the floor. They were a
big reason the Lakers outscored the Heat 18 to four in the paint in the opening
stanza, outscoring them overall 52-44 in the paint in title clinching contest.
They outscored them 16 to eight in fast-break points.
“Well, we have a Ph D. in adversity. I can
tell you that much,” Vogel said to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols during the trophy
presentation. “We’ve been through a lot.”
“I’m so damn proud of this team. World
champions! Credit to this group right here, this group of players, for buying
into being a team first team. Committed to the defensive end. You became a
defensive monster. You saw that tonight.”
What was also on display the continuity of
Coach Vogel’s staff in his assistants in Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, Miles Simon,
Mike Penberthy, Quinton Crawford, and Phil Handy.
While he was not with the team, opting out
of joining them in the restart, assistant coach Lionel Hollins via Zoom
contributed mightily to the Lakers during this playoff run.
At the start of this season when the
coaching staff was being put together, there was a lot of questions of could a
staff of three former head coaches in Vogel, Hollins, and Kidd work? If the
Lakers got off to a slow start, would Vogel be on the hot seat?
There was no such strife. The staff and
the players blended together and got the job completed. Coach Vogel may not
have been the Lakers first choice to be their head coach, but he was the right
one.
“Just, I’m a guy that’s going to focus on
the work, you know? And that’s what this team needed,” Coach Vogel said. “We
had the talent, you know? We just wanted to focus on the work. Tie all the
strings together. Make sure we all played together, and we got it done.”
At the head of making sure that he and the
Lakers team as a whole put in the work to be champions was James, who won his
fourth Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy.
The other day during his presser, James
said that Lakers fans do not give “a damn” about your past success. When you
join the Lakers, the main objective is to win a title.
A groin injury last year sank those hopes
and dreams for James and the team from the “City of Angels,” as James missed
the playoffs for the first time since his second season in the NBA in 2004-05
and the Lakers missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.
The four-time Kia MVP, four-time champion
and now four-time Finals MVP, the only player to do it with three different
teams (the Heat in 2012 and 2013; Cleveland Cavaliers 2016, and Lakers 2020)
more than made up for that in leading the Lakers back to the top of the NBA
mountain like he promised when he signed with them in the summer of 2019.
“It means a lot,” James, who averaged 29.8
points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the 2020 NBA Finals on a Finals
career-high 59 percent from the floor said to Nichols. “It means a lot to
represent this franchise. I told Jeanie when I came here that I was going to
put this franchise back in the position where it belongs. Her late great father
[Dr. Jerry Buss] did it for so many years, and she just, you know, took it on
after that. And for me to be part of such a historical franchise is an
unbelievable feeling, not only for myself but my teammates, for the
organization, for the coaches, for the trainers, everybody that’s here.”
This title for James, in season No. 17 in
NBA, two months shy of birthday No. 36 also made it clear that he is still if
not the best player but the top player in “The Association.” That the Lakers
front office is one of the best in the league, and that they should be respect
and appreciated for what they do.
“We just want our respect. Rob wants his
respect. Coach Vogel wants his respect. Our organization wants their respect.
Laker nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect to,” James also
said to Nichols about his and the Lakers organization’s place as a top run
franchise in the NBA.
He added about how the prime of his career
is one of the longest in pro sports, James said that he will leave that up to
Nichols and the rest of the media to decide. All he can do is commit to being
the best basketball player to be by putting himself, his body, and his mind in
position to be available to his teammates.
There is no better example of that then
the fact that Game 6 of the 2020 Finals was his 260th career playoff
game, surpassing five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, and current head coach
of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks Derek Fisher.
“The best thing you can do for your
teammates is be available,” James, who has never missed a playoff game in his
playoff career said. “And for me to be available to my teammates and put in the
work, I just hope I make my guys proud, and that’s all that matters to me. If I
make my guys proud, make the fan base proud, my family back home.”
One teammate that is definitely proud of
James is Davis, who after so many years with the New Orleans Pelicans of having
only one year of making it passed the First-Round of the playoffs had his first
lengthy playoff run on his way to his first title.
James said that his partnership on the
floor with Davis, who averaged 25.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks on 57
percent from the field in the 2020 Finals is “easy,” because there have no egos
amongst each other. That they both want the best for one another each day both
on and off the court.
One big reason the respect between James
and Davis is so high is because James said during the trophy presentation is
that he understand what it is like to make the playoffs like he did in his
first stint with the Cavaliers and come up short of winning a title. That he
needed more help to reach the top of the NBA mountain. Someone that would push
him to be his best when it mattered the most.
For James, that was fellow future Hall of
Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Heat. That led to four straight
appearances in The Finals from 2010-14, winning back-to-back titles in 2012
over the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games and over the five-time NBA
champion San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the 2013.
“And so, to be able to get him [Davis],
and we push him, and let him know how great he is,” James said of Davis. “But
just making him see better basketball, and be a part of something that’s
special, that’s what it’s all about.”
“So, to be able to put him where he is today,
that means so much to me, and the fact that he trust me means even more.”
For Davis, who won his first title in his
eighth season out of the University of Kentucky, the No. 1 overall pick in 2012
said that being a part of this group, and grind through the highs and lows of
this season for a full calendar year and to finish it off as World Champions of
the NBA is a “surreal” feeling.
On many occasions over the first seven
years of his career with the Pelicans, where he made the playoffs just twice, he
often said to Nichols that all he wanted the opportunity to play against the
best with the stakes at their highest.
He got that chance this postseason and
Davis passed that test with flying colors, averaging 27.7 points, 10.9
rebounds, and 1.9 blocks on 55.1 percent shooting from the field and 83.9
percent from the free throw line.
Dating back to Game 5 of the Western
Conference Finals versus the Nuggets to Game 6 Davis connected on 38 straight
free throws before his first miss in the second half of the title clincher.
As great as Davis played at the offensive
end, especially in The Finals, he really showed how great of a defender he was
not only being a solid rim protector but his ability to guard in space against
the solid wing scorers the Heat had in five-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, rookie
Tyler Herro, and second-year sharp shooter Duncan Robinson.
When asked by Nichols what he learned
about himself, he said that you have to “compete.”
“It’s tough,” Davis added. “It’s tough on
the body. It’s a lot of hard work. But these guys push me every day, especially
Bron and Do [Rajon Rondo]. They always on me about being great, being better,
you know? Covering up every mistake. It’s my job, and to be able to, you know,
win it and grind, and see how tough it is, and to see this feeling and want
this feeling again, you know, that’s what it’s about.”
It is also about being continuing the
legacy of those that came before you. In the case of the Lakers, that is the
legacy of continuing to win championships, which as mentioned was something the
Lakers had not done since 2010.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics Davis was a
part of that team and one of his teammates was Bryant, who Davis said became
like a big brother to him from that point on. Before the playoffs, Davis told
Nichols that he could not let Bryant down. That he had to do everything in his
power to help the Lakers win a title. While they could not win the title
wearing their City Edition “Black Mamba Snakeskin Jerseys” in Game 5 on Friday
night, they did finish the task in Game 6.
“We didn’t let him down,” Davis said.
“Ever since the tragedy, you know, all we wanted to do was do it for him, you
know? We didn’t let him down.”
“He was a big brother to all of us. We did
this for him. It would’ve been great to do it, you know, last game in his
jerseys. But it made us come out even more aggressive. Even more powerful on
both ends of the floor to make sure we closed it out tonight. And I know he’s
looking down on us, proud of us. I know Vanessa is proud of us. The
organization is proud of us. It means a lot us.”
One person who is really proud of Davis
for winning his first title is his father Anthony Davis, Sr., who told his son
he would quarantine for as along as necessary to be here for this moment. He
did, along with Davis young daughter as well.
“He’s one of my biggest supporters,” Davis
said about his father. “He said he quarantined 30 days just to be right here in
this moment. He always texting me before games, you know, telling me to go get
it. He’s my biggest critic, my biggest supporter. I know he’s proud of me. He’s
been with me from the beginning of my career, waiting for this moment. Both of
us was waiting for this moment, and it’s here. So, he ain’t crying right now
but I know he’s going to be crying in a minute. I know he’s proud of me.”
As impressive as Davis and James were in
not just The Finals but in the 2020 Playoffs overall, the Lakers are not
holding their 17th Larry O’Brien trophy without the contributions
from battled tested veterans like Rondo, Danny Green, Dwight Howard, and JaVale
McGee, and youngsters Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, and Kyle Kuzma.
Rondo registered 13 of his 19 points in
the opening half, going 6 for 6 from the floor. Aside from his production of 16
points on 5 for 9 shooting in Game 2, Rondo had only registered 20 points on 6 for
29 shooting in Games 1, 3, 4 and 5.
That said, Rondo’s contributions go beyond
the box score. He was able to provide another ball handler, perimeter defender,
and had an ability to connect with Davis and James in such a way that when he
spoke, not only did they listen, but so did the entire Lakers squad.
It was just a few years ago that many
though Rondo was finished when his upfront style did not work with the Dallas
Mavericks and they basically said in the middle of their playoff run to take a
hike.
Rondo moved on to play for the Chicago
Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, where he forged a chemistry with Davis and then
the Lakers and the rest is history.
Rondo joined Hall of Famer Clyde
Lovellette as the only two players in NBA history to win titles with the
Celtics and Lakers. Lovellette, a Hall of Famer won his title with the Lakers
when they were in Minneapolis, MN.
When the Lakers signed Caldwell-Pope two
summer back to a $38 million deal, critics made it clear that was one expensive
investment in a player that only made the playoffs once in his first four NBA
seasons with the Detroit Pistons, who drafted him No. 8 overall in 2013 out of
the University of Georgia.
All KCP did was show his worth his first two seasons in L.A. scoring in double figures and being a solid three-point shooter and perimeter defender, and this season he flourished even more in those roles working with better players. Caldwell-Pope was especially good the last three games of The Finals scoring 15, 16 and 17 points respectably the last three games.
"It feels great. Just to have that name attached to mines," Caldwell-Pope said to Nichols and ESPN NBA studio analyst Matt Barnes on the Thursday edition of ESPN's "NBA: The Jump" about being an NBA champion. "I kind of went home first after the bubble, you know, to be around family, especially my boys that I missed for three months, and that's all I was hearing. It feels wonderful."
If there was any Laker that will
appreciate this championship season more than anyone on the roster its Howard,
who lost in his first trip to The Finals in 2009 with the Orlando Magic against
Bryant and the Lakers 4-1.
That loss came in an eight-year period
where Howard had tremendous individual success by being named Kia Defensive
Player of the Year three times and was a six-time All-Star selection.
When he got dealt from the Magic to the
Lakers in the offseason of 2012, teaming up with Bryant, it seemed a matter of
time before he got back to The Finals and won the first of likely many titles. That
was not the case as injuries to him and other key personnel, and the inability
to compete at the level Bryant is why Howard flamed out with the Lakers in his
first stint.
Over the next six years, Howard played for
the Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. While he
put up solid numbers for those squads, his so-called poor attitude and inability
to understand that he had to settled into a role on those teams is why he only lasted
three seasons with the Rockets and just one season with the other
aforementioned teams.
To put the perception Howard had during
that time into context, when Howard was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets by the Hornets
in the summer of 2018, he was waived almost immediately. The same thing
happened one summer later when the Wizards dealt the eight-time All-Star to the
Memphis Grizzlies.
When it seemed like Howard’s career was
over, he got a lifeline in the summer of 2019 when the Lakers took a
non-guaranteed flyer on him. Howard, who averaged 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds
on 72.9 percent shooting during the regular season played his role to a tee
coming off the bench and being a rim protector, rebounder, and screen setter,
and it all worked out.
When he did not get consistent minutes, like
he did in the Semis against the Rockets, he became the Lakers biggest
cheerleader on the sidelines.
Howard, who averaged 5.8 points and 4.6
rebounds on 68.4 percent shooting during this year’s playoffs said to Nichols
and ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson late last month on ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump”
that what allowed him to have success in his second stint with the Lakers that he
really worked on his physical and mental state with his spiritual guide Clayton
Gibson from his hometown of Atlanta, GA where they spend a lot of time
training, talking, praying, teaching and learning.
“When I got back for the season, I was
ready,” Howard, who hit a three-pointer to close Game 6 said. “I didn’t have
any problems with my back. My mind was in the right place, and I was ready to
give myself, whatever the team I was on a 110 percent.”
While there play was up and down at times,
McGee and Green brought that championship grit and focus that they brought respectably
to the Lakers from the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
McGee, who started much of the regular
season at center for the Lakers, did not play much during the postseason, but
like Howard was consistently engaged during the game from the sidelines
cheering his teammates that were on the court as he earned his third
championship.
Green had the chance to win Game 5 for the
Lakers on Friday night, but his three-pointer in the closing seconds of a pass
from James did not go in.
That kind of shot would have sunk most
players confidence or have the confidence of their teammates in said player
lost in them.
Green, confidence was not shaken, nor his teammates confidence in him as he bounced back with 11 points in the title clinching contest two nights later going 3 for 7 from three-point range as the former Toronto Raptor, who helped them to their first title in franchise history last season earned his third title with as many teams. Green really showed that incredible intestinal fortitude in his postgame presser after the loss in Game 5, while also making sure the fight for social justice remains in the forefront of our nations minds.
"It's a basketball game, you know? People are emotional, fans are emotional. I hope they don't take it that seriously," he said about how Lakers nation across the world taking the loss in Game 5 in stride, adding, "I hope they're that passionate about voting or injustice. These people [minorities] deserve justice or get some better change along in the country. But it's just a basketball game at the end of the day, and I know that they're just taking out their emotions and they need somebody to blame, and it came down to that last play. Of course I'm an easy target."
For Kuzma and Caruso, this season was the
first in their short time with the Lakers where there were major expectations of
success.
There were times during the season, and
even during the playoffs that Kuzma play was up and down. Sometimes when he was
not involved offensively, he would just go through the motions.
As this postseason progressed, he found
was to contribute, particularly defensively. The hope for Laker nation is that
this season will act as a springboard for Kuzma to continue to become an even
better player as he learns from James, Davis, and Coach Vogel.
The best example for Kuzma to follow is
Caruso, who throughout this season provided the Lakers with solid play on both
ends. He brought an energy and attention to detail that whenever he was on the
floor, the Lakers played at a high level.
Caruso definitely displayed that in his
first postseason start in Game 6, where he played well beyond his numbers of
four points, five assists, and three rebounds on 2 for 7 shooting.
Along with winning a title and helping Davis be the best player he can be, James wanted in the league’s restart to be a real voice for social change in the most turbulent year in not just the U.S. but the entire world.
Throughout the restart, James, the Lakers
and the entire NBA and the National Basketball Players Association used their
voices to make it clear that the likes of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd,
Rayshard Brooks, Jacob Blake Sandra Bland and the many other African American
and minority men and women who have been killed or seriously wounded by those
sworn to protect them need to brought to justice. James and the league also
used the platform of the NBA restart to get the message out to the entire
country of the importance of voting early and on Election Day on Nov. 3 if the
start of real change for our nation will happen.
That the players have to continue to drive
home the point that voting is how we can push back against police brutality. To
push back against those in law enforcement that would do harm to minorities
that they are sworn to protect along with those of Caucasian decent. To push
back against those that would suppress the voting rights of minorities. To push
back against everything James said is the “opposite” of love.
For the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers, it was
a season that was full of a lot of ups. It was full of a lot of tough moments.
It consisted of the passing of a legend in Kobe Bryant that brought the
organization, the fan base in L.A., across the country, and the world to tears.
There was the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic that put their quest for a title
on hold for four-plus months.
When the NBA got restarted in Orlando, FL
in late July, the Lakers found a way to capture the top seed in the Western
Conference. Rolled through the first three rounds of the 2020 NBA Playoffs with
a 12-3 mark and took down a worthy opponent in the Miami Heat to capture their
17th NBA title in franchise history.
While there have been many more talented
Laker title teams, this title team will stand the test of time as have those in
the past not because of their teamwork, commitment to the defensive end,
willingness to be coached, and the play of their talented dynamic duo of LeBron
James and Anthony Davis.
For them to repeat as champions next
season, whenever the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic will allow the 2020-21
season to begin will depend if they can remain healthy and if Davis, who can
opt out of the final year of his five-year contract that he signed while with
the Pelicans, worth $28, 751,775. He could receive according to ESPN’s NBA front
office analyst Bobby Marks a salary of $32.7 million next season if the salary
cap remains at $109.1 million.
Davis, 27, is eligible for a supermax
extension this offseason after earning All-NBA and All-Defensive honors this
season and finishing runner-up to back-to-back Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of
the Milwaukee Bucks for the Kia Defensive Player of the Year.
“I had a great time in L.A. this first
year,” Davis said after Game 6. “This has been nothing but joy, nothing but amazement.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll figure it out. I mean, I’m not 100
percent sure, but that’s why my agent [Rich Paul of Klutch Sports] is who he
is, and we’ll discuss it and figure it out.”
This was season full of highs, lows,
trials, and triumph for the Los Angeles Lakers. They had a solid season
finishing No. 1 in the West and made the playoffs after a six-year absence. They
dealt with the tragic death of Hall of Famer to be in Kobe Bryant and his
second oldest daughter Gianna. They had to wait over four months like the rest
of the NBA to see if they would finish this season. They got through a rough
restart in the seeding games. Got things together in the playoffs, going 12-3
in the first three rounds and beat a gritty Miami Heat team to win their first
title in a decade and their 17th Larry O’Brien trophy overall in
franchise history tying them with the Boston Celtics for the most in the NBA.
If this group can come back intact next
season as mentioned whenever that begins, they will be favored to win it all again.
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