NBA Finals Game 3 Thread

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, so it goes without saying that a Miami Heat win tonight is critical if the collective basketball community isn’t ready to crown LeBron James and the Lakers the Kings of Disney World and fully move on to offseason discussions.

Down two starters in Game 2, the Heat competed admirably, but still fell to the Lakers, 124-114. Jimmy Butler was outstanding, tallying 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists, joining LeBron and Magic Johnson as the only players to reach those totals in an NBA Finals game. Miami will need a similar effort from Jimmy tonight, and then some. Although Goran Dragic was not expected back, there had been some hope that Bam Adebayo would be able to return tonight, but he will miss his second straight game with a neck strain. With Adebayo out in Game 2, Anthony Davis feasted against Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk to the tune of 32 points on 15-of-20 shooting. I’m not sure what emergency options Erik Spoelstra has at his disposal at this point.

Can Miami make a last stand tonight or are the Lakers ready to all but cement the path for LeBron to earn his fourth ring? Tune in and follow along with the action in the comments.

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat, Game 3
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, FL (The Bubble)
When: 7:30pm ET
Watch: ABC