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Miami seems to have found its recipe for success in these NBA Finals: have Jimmy Butler record at least 35 points as part of a triple-double. Easy, right? On Friday night, Jimmy Buckets carried the Heat to a 111-108 Game 5 victory, overcoming another tremendous performance from LeBron James (40 points on 15-of-21 shooting, 13 rebounds, seven assists). We witnessed a wild finish, as the teams went shot-for-shot in the closing minutes before Danny Green missed a wide-open potential game-winning 3 from the top of the key on the Lakers’ final possession, followed by Markeiff Morris throwing the ball away trying to find Anthony Davis underneath after grabbing the offensive rebound.
With apologies to Davis, who has been excellent himself this series, these Finals have evolved into an epic duel between LeBron and Butler. LeBron, of course, has all the historic markers of what another title and Finals MVP would mean for his legacy. Jimmy is putting forth of the all-time great Finals runs, and is getting low-level buzz of “should he deserve MVP honors even in a losing effort?”.
As NFL scheduling continues to get screwed up by COVID-19 concerns, kudos to the NBA for getting this right, and you have to appreciate both the Lakers and Heat for putting forth such an entertaining series while having lived in the Bubble for three months now.
It should be another fun one tonight. Follow along with all the action in the comments.
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat, Game 6
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, FL (The Bubble)
When: 7:30pm ET
Watch: ABC