LeBron James likes to say that sometimes two points are more than two points, when the score comes in an emphatic and demoralizing fashion. So can one win in a best-of-seven series have an impact bigger than just one win?
That isn’t how James viewed the Lakers’ dominant 116-98 Game 1 win over the Miami Heat. It was only one win, he said, stone-faced, after the game. When his teammates celebrated too much at certain points during it, he worked to temper their excitement.
“I’ve experienced moments in my career, Finals games, where you had all the momentum in the world, it felt like you had the game under control, one play here can change the course of a series or change the course of a game,” James said.
He recalled Game 2 of the 2011 Finals, in which his team, the Heat, had a double-digit lead to the Dallas Mavericks. They eventually lost the game and the series.
“That [stuff] burns me to this day,” James said. “I always talk about the best teacher in life is experience, I’ve experienced a lot.”
James scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and nine assists, Anthony Davis, playing in his first Finals game, scored 34 points with nine rebounds and five assists.
Lakers forward Anthony Davis forces Heat guard Tyler Herro into a turnover during Game 1. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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“First time I’m experiencing this, so obviously you want to come out and play well, you want to win,” Davis said. “I had the same thing Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals as well. When the ball gets tipped up, all that goes away. But everything leading up to it, you’re very excited, your adrenaline is going early, you’re so excited to be here.”
Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso had plus/minus ratings of positive 20 in the first half.
Miami was led by Jimmy Butler, who shook off an injury just before halftime to keep playing and scored 23 points. More concerning for the Heat were the two starters — Goran Dragic (foot) and Bam Adebayo (shoulder) — who suffered injuries that prevented them from being able to finish the team. Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game that he wasn’t sure what their statuses were moving forward.
The Lakers exposed Miami’s defense, shot better than they had for most of their time in the bubble and rode Davis’ presence inside to total domination.
Given Miami’s history in these playoffs, the Lakers placed extra emphasis on their start. While the Lakers were 1-2 in bubble-playoff Game 1s, the Heat were 6-0 in the first two games of each of their three previous series. That 2-0 lead proved insurmountable to even a team as talented as the Milwaukee Bucks, whom the Heat faced in the second round.
This game did not seem headed for a blowout in the first quarter. With former President Obama and several Lakers dignitaries among the virtual fans at midcourt, the Heat went step for step with the Lakers in the first quarter behind efficient shooting and a zone defense that worked for a time.
Miami took a 13-point lead, which was all it took for the Lakers to wake up.
“You have to get a feel for how hard Miami plays,” James said. “They smacked us … from that moment when it was 23-10, we started playing to our capabilities.”
In the span of 50 seconds, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope delivered a steal, and a three, then another three-pointer that cut the Heat lead to seven. The Lakers took their first lead in the final five seconds of the first quarter.
“KCP kind of saved us,” Davis said.
In all, from that timeout until halftime, the Lakers outscored Miami by 30 points until the half, 55-25. It helped that the Lakers made 13 of their first 20 three-pointers.
By halftime, their lead swelled to 17 points. In the third quarter, when Dwight Howard found Davis on a fast break for a dunk, the Lakers took their biggest lead of the game — 32 points at 87-55.