ORLANDO, Fla. — LeBron James’ legacy and Anthony Davis’ legend.
That’s what was supposed to be on the line Sunday night in the bubble with the Lakers poised to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Miami Heat in The Finals.
Or at least that was the narrative going into the game.
> Finals Game 4: Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET on ABC
The conversation went from could they or would they, and when they’re done, where do they fit all time, and are they the next generation Shaq and Kobe?
I think it’s a bit premature to put this partnership on that level after just one Finals appearance. And, apparently, so did Miami’s Jimmy Butler.
View this post on InstagramBuilt for this.
A post shared by Miami HEAT (@miamiheat) on Oct 4, 2020 at 6:50pm PDT
We’ve got a series folks!
And as Butler made clear at the end of the night …
Doesn't look like Jimmy Butler thinks the Miami Heat got their one win: "They're in trouble!"pic.twitter.com/dXMns4T0B8
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) October 5, 2020
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24 — No idea what Lakers team is is on the floor to start the game. No clue! The Heat with an early 22-9 lead (courtesy of nine early Lakers ’turnovers).
Lakers have 9 turnovers on 16 possessions. Wow.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) October 4, 2020
23 — I love the Heat coming out with the requisite fire to make this game more interesting than the previous two. Didn’t expect any retreat from them — not with Udonis Haslem breathing. No lead is safe, of course. But they’ve tried playing from behind already in this series. Might as well try and push it for as long as they can.
Rough start for AD. LeBron, too.
With Jimmy Butler leading them, with how their whole franchise is built, the Heat are going to throw their best punches. Not sure how powerful they can be over 48 minutes, but they're gonna throw 'em.
— Jerry Brewer (@JerryBrewer) October 4, 2020
22 — It was sweet while it lasted. Kyle Kuzma’s crier 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer cut Miami’s lead to just three (26-23). The Lakers snoozed early and their 10 turnovers (resulting in 11 points for the Heat) should have been a back-breaker and probably would have been … anywhere but in the bubble. The normal rules (to just about everything) do not apply here!
If the Heat couldn't maintain a double-digit lead while Anthony Davis was scoreless and the Lakers averaged a turnover a minute then… pic.twitter.com/uNUKQDe4qs
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) October 5, 2020
Kyle Kuzma gets it to go at the buzzer! #NBAFinals
@ESPNAusNZ
NBA League Pass – https://t.co/v6GibmHtDJ pic.twitter.com/Ez0WgaZ7QL— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) October 5, 2020
21 — Kuzma’s not done. A quick nine points off the bench for him to spark the Lakers. The belief in Kuzma by the Lakers is paying off nicely in this series. He hadn’t really had a breakout stretch since the restart, so his timing right now is perfect. And I still think he’s the ideal solution for the Lakers’ third scorer (6-foot-10 scorers with 3-point range tend to come in handy in the NBA).
Kuz left AD hanging after his And-1 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/sxKbcISm1X
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 5, 2020
20 — The patience AD shows with how the Lakers operate on offense goes against everything we’ve come to believe about superstar players in this league. And it’s one of the best things about his game, if you ask me. The man never seems to stress his touches. Just stays in the flow.
AD first field goal is a three-pointer in the second quarter
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) October 5, 2020
The Rondo to AD connection is unfair #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/7oLeTI840g
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 5, 2020
19 — While the rest of the world is focused on the Lakers, Jimmy Butler continues rocking to his own beat. Heat up 42-37 behind Butler’s 15 points (6-for-8 shooting), five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Meanwhile AD’s in foul trouble and LeBron still can’t catch a rhythm. With so little margin for error, Butler’s going to need some serious support tonight. Anyone out there?
Taking matters into his own hands tonight pic.twitter.com/XPHJXEspLh
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 5, 2020
View this post on InstagramMaking history every time he steps on the floor. Congrats to @kingjames on passing John Stockton for the second-most assists in playoffs history.
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Oct 4, 2020 at 5:00pm PDT
18 — Butler is out here playing his guts out trying to keep the Heat in this series … and LeBron is just casually picking the Heat apart (with AD on the bench in foul trouble). He’s keeping the Lakers within a basket or two as the first half winds down. Heat up 58-54 at halftime, but there’s nothing severe about this cushion.
LeBron James is built like Karl Malone and has more playoff assists than John Stockton. No matter how much you appreciate him it's not enough.
— Russ Bengtson (@russbengtson) October 5, 2020
View this post on InstagramKing Chasedown rewriting history all the time
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Oct 4, 2020 at 5:51pm PDT
17 — Instead of clowning Earl Smith (no relation, that I know of) in The Finals, we choose to celebrate the man, the myth and the legend that is J.R. Smith for doing what he does …
That 3 by JR is an opportunity to let folks know that JR Smith has hit the 4th most 3s in NBA Finals *history*, trailing on Steph, LeBron & Klay.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) October 5, 2020
16 — Give it up one more time for Jimmy Butler! Showing up and showing out with the Heat’s season the line. Don’t know if it’ll be enough to save them or not. But the effort is there.
View this post on InstagramThe @miamiheat lead @lakers 58-54 at the half in Game 3 of the #NBAFinals presented by YouTube TV on ABC! #PhantomCam
A post shared by • #WholeNewGame • (@nba) on Oct 4, 2020 at 5:50pm PDT
15 — AD with his fourth foul. Heat cranking up from deep. A 66-54 lead with 9:17 to play feels like a movement, like momentum. Folks were busy writing the Heat off the past few days. But they’re showing the fight you’d expect from a team that went through the Eastern Conference playoff field the way they did. We know they are resilient and have the ingredients (save for good health) needed to turn this into a series. Now we’re going to see if the Lakers have what it takes to bounce back and snatch that momentum away. This is The Finals drama I love.
pic.twitter.com/z2yQ08lNBW
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 5, 2020
14 — The Lakers’ starting backcourt went scoreless until the 7:36 mark of the third quarter (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finally hit a 3-pointer). Whew. Ugly stuff until then from the first five as a unit.
So far tonight, the Lakers have been outscored 25-9 with their starting five on the court.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) October 5, 2020
13 — Butler on triple-double alert (25-8-8) with 5 minutes to play in the third and the Heat clinging to the lead. His performance is D-Wade approved, btw …
Say it louder for the idiots in the backseat https://t.co/rAQR0xGGbG
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) October 5, 2020
… and Kevin Love, too!
What Jimmy is doing right now is just really damn impressive…has himself and the HEAT believing
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) October 5, 2020
12 — This seems like a “Playoff Rondo” special! (I know he hates the nickname, but it is good.)
Sick AF, camera angle‼️
pic.twitter.com/owbP6CfWK6— Zak Noble (@Zaknoble) October 5, 2020
11 — I agree with Draymond: We could have this conversation about several players who showed up for their teams at the most important time of 2019-20. There’s Denver’s Jerami Grant, Boston’s Marcus Smart and … sorry, back to Game 3.
The lack of talk/love about Jae Crowder during this bubble is an embarrassment to the integrity of the game of basketball.
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) October 5, 2020
10 — Best player on the floor though three quarters tonight? Hands down, it’s Jimmy Butler!
End of third quarter
Heat 85
Lakers 80Butler 30/9/8
LeBron 20/8/6
Davis 15/4/2Miami just 9-of-28 from 3, but 16-of-18 from line@BiscayneBayBrew
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) October 5, 2020
9 — So, who closes strongest?
OK: Heat have dominated 4th quarters all playoffs, especially the final 8 minutes. But that was partly because they were playing everybody 30-36 min. Herro and Butler were 40+ in Game 2 and Butler on pace for huge # tonight. Will Miami still have that extra gear late?
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 5, 2020
8 — Lakers bench rises up. Markieff Morris’ 3-pointers. Rajon Rondo’s activity and attacking mentality. Lakers go up 91-89 with 8:55 to play. This shaping up as a potential roster win, and a critical one it will be if they finish. The vets smell the opportunity. You can sense it in the way they are playing right now.
Pick your poison time…Do you play chicken with Bron shooting the 3 if you go under the high screen? Or keep letting him pick you apart with the pass and find Morris to shoot?
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) October 5, 2020
DON'T MISS THIS FINISH!
8-0 @Lakers run to take the lead… two-point game with 8:55 to play in Game 3 on ABC! #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/I30KG9cie0
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2020
7 — This is basically what we always ask for this time of year. #BestonBest
Jimmy LeBron #NBA #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/JyYqi8TQhh
— NBA Germany (@NBA_de) October 5, 2020
6 — I can see this … sort of.
I think we’ll ultimately remember this series by Jimmy Butler as a slightly worse version of Allen Iverson in 01. Overmatched roster-wise, and nobody cares about the outcome because the dude is such a warrior.
— Samuel H. Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) October 5, 2020
5 — LeBron is doing LeBron things, as usual. Butler is putting on an absolute show, carrying the Heat in every way imaginable. One of the great free-agent signings in recent NBA history.
Stephen Curry and LeBron James have the only instance of opponents posting triple-doubles against one another in the same Finals game.
Mr. Butler and Mr. James are on the brink of doing it tonight.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 5, 2020
4 — Something tells me Jimmy doesn’t really care.
Jimmy Butler and his triple-double masterpiece bidding to scuttle NBA Finals travel plans like we haven't seen since the Sonics forced a Game 6 from 3-0 down in 1996
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 5, 2020
3 — How about 45 minutes, 40 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for Jimmy F. Buckets. An absolute masterpiece to put the Heat on the map in this series. Not a stunner, by any stretch as we know he’s more than capable of this. But it was an absolute masterpiece of a performance.
Sent this out 22 minutes ago
40 point triple double #Finals https://t.co/byLfNrthUS— Caron Butler (@realtuffjuice) October 5, 2020
2 — We’ve got a series. Any chance Bam Adebayo comes back by Tuesday? Will his shoulder be better by Friday’s Game 5? Just talking out loud here as the entire series shifts into a completely different mode after this effort from Butler, Kelly Olynyk (17 off the bench after his 24 in Game 2), Tyler Herro (17), Duncan Robinson (13) and Jae Crowder (12). You had to know these guys weren’t about to go out and get swept.
View this post on InstagramMiami gets their first win of the #NBAFinals
A post shared by @ nbatv on Oct 4, 2020 at 7:12pm PDT
1 — It was his night, folks! Game 4 on Tuesday night becomes a colossal affair given the two-day break between Game 4 and Friday’s Game 5.
View this post on InstagramWe up to something #WINNING
A post shared by Miami HEAT (@miamiheat) on Oct 4, 2020 at 7:12pm PDT
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Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
