LeBron James has clinched NBA finals for the 10th time in his 17-year long career with a triple-double in a historic fashion tonight. Beating the Denver Nuggets 107-117 in the Orlando Bubble this season, LA Lakers ended the 8-year drought. Once before, the LA Lakers met Denver Nuggets in the western conference finals exactly 10 years ago led by Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony.
LA Lakers gained command of the game right from the beginning, maintaining the lead throughout the game. Knowing how deadly Denver Nuggets have been down 3-1, the Lakers didn’t leave any stone unturned in their quest for the championship in the crucial game 5 of the western conference finals.
Concluding the game with 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, LeBron James was the player of the night. This was his 4th triple-double this postseason. The last LA Lakers player to record at least 4 triple-doubles in a single postseason was Magic Johnson in the 1991 playoffs. Second in scoring was Anthony Davis, also from LA Lakers, who filled his stat sheet with 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Night after night, LeBron James and Anthony Davis prove why they deserved MVP and DOPY award over Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What Bron did tonight was the Difference between a “Star” and “Superstar”…. He closed them boys out!
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) September 27, 2020
Despite a 4-1 loss to LA Lakers in the western conference finals, the Denver Nuggets won hearts this postseason beating LA Clippers and Utah Jazz with resilience and hard work. No one saw this Nuggets team past the second round, yet they managed to reach the WCF and lost to star-stubbed LA Lakers. They also became the youngest team in NBA history to clinch second seed last season. The future is bright for Denver Nuggets.
Also Read: “Are they even watching basketball?”- LeBron James Furious Over MVP Voting Procedure
How LeBron James was crucial in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals
Scoring a 38-point triple-double is more than enough evidence to prove how crucial LeBron was in the Lakers’ victory over Denver Nuggets, However writhy to note he scored 16 of those 38 points in the fourth quarter. He just had 2 turnovers in the game although the Lakers had more turnovers compared to Denver Nuggets. In addition, LeBron asked for the Murry assignment. In contrast, when Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked why he didn’t guard Jimmy Butler, his response was “Coach didn’t tell me to”. Fans were quick to point out that this is the difference between LeBron James and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
You can’t tell me that LeBron James is not the MVP of the league with a 38-16-10 performance tonight to lead the @Lakers to the NBA Finals!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 27, 2020
Frank Vogel made more tactical changes in the lineup, giving Dwight Howard more minutes on the court. Dwight Howard did an excellent job defensively resulting in fewer shots attempted by Nikola Jokic.
Another plus point for the LA Lakers was Rajon Rondo’s return. To everyone’s surprise, Rondo was better than ever against Denver Nuggets, helping them create shots and putting up big numbers offensively. Anthony Davis’ performance went largely unnoticed in the presence of LeBron James, however, his offensive presence was equally important.
Although Danny Green has been struggling so far in the playoffs, he ensured the victory tonight by hitting a clutch three-pointer when Denver cut the chase to 4 in the final few minutes.
Also Read: Allen Iverson Advices Giannis Antetokounmpo to Join Golden State Warriors
Discussion about this post