The last 39 seconds of Game 2 in the 2026 NBA Finals wasn’t Victor Wembanyama’s finest moment.

The San Antonio Spurs’ 7-foot-5 all-world center came up small in the most crucial time. He missed two shots that could have given the Spurs the lead. He committed a crucial turnover that led to a Jalen Brunson free throw, giving the New York Knicks a 105-104 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

“I threw that one away. I messed up,” Wembanyama told reporters after the game. “We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. That game was ours. But at this point, it’s done.”

The late-game gaffe was so unexpected given how Wembanyama had been playing throughout his first playoff run.

With the game tied at 104, the Spurs called on Wemby’s number to break the tie. He took a tough, contested 18-foot pullup jumper from the left wing against Mitchell Robinson and missed. OG Anunoby grabbed the rebound and the Knicks called timeout.

Jalen Brunson, who was spectacular in closing the show in Game 1, missed a 16-footer with 13.5 seconds left. The Spurs regained possession after Wembanyama grabbed the rebound. For a brief moment, the Spurs had a great opportunity to take the lead and tie the series at 1-1. It was three seconds Wembanyama would love to have back. All the work the Spurs put forth in erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter came crashing down in three forgettable seconds.

The play started with a Wemby rebound after he forced Brunson into a tough shot. As Wemby turned up the court, he took one dribble and inexplicably tossed the ball off Stephon Castle’s back, who clearly wasn’t expecting a pass as he ran up the court. Castle said once he saw Wembanyama secure the rebound he wanted to give Wemby “some space” to dribble up the court, so he was anticipating Wemby would bring the ball up himself, especially with time winding down.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson could have called timeout to set up a play, but it’s difficult to blame the coach for not calling timeout because his best player already had the ball in his hands with a full head of steam. It was Wembanyama’s game to win or lose.

“I need to have more poise, more control over the game,” Wembanyama said. “That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work.”

Brunson grabbed the loose ball and a frustrated Wembanyama compounded the mistake by fouling Brunson near the sideline. Brunson made one of two free throws to give the Knicks a one-point lead with 9.5 seconds left.

Wembanyama had one last opportunity to redeem himself. On the final possession, a two-man action between Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox freed up Wembanyama for a clean look from about 20 feet on the right wing with 2.0 seconds left. The shot clanked off the rim and the Knicks were able to hang on for the win.

Wembanyama was asked after the game if he liked the look he got on the final shot.

“I like the shot. But I feel like at this moment you need to shoot to score,” said Wembanyama, who finished with a game-high 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four blocked shots. None of those statistics matter to him because he didn’t get the job done when his team needed it most.

“In moments like this, results matter more than process,” he said. “We just need to score. I need to score.”

As the leader of the youngest team to reach the NBA Finals in 49 years, the 22-year-old Wembanyama is doing the right thing by owning his mistakes and not pointing fingers. And the Spurs wouldn’t be in this position without Wembanyama. He is the biggest reason why the Spurs are ahead of schedule. He will learn from this “blurry” moment as he called it. The game got blurry down the stretch because the action was moving too fast for the young Frenchman.

“Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me? Yes, absolutely,” said a humbled Wembanyama.

There is no manual for winning championships. You have to experience it for yourself to gain championship knowledge. And sometimes you have to be humbled in order to be great.

Michael Jordan got humbled by the Detroit Pistons before he won six championships. Before he became the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant shot three air balls in a humbling playoff loss to the Utah Jazz. LeBron James got swept by Tim Duncan’s Spurs the first time he reached the NBA Finals.

Every great player goes through growing pains. Wembanyama is going through it as well.

The Knicks are now just the third team to win the first two games of a finals on the road, joining Jordan and the 1993 Chicago Bulls, and Hakeem Olajuwon and the 1995 Houston Rockets. Both of those teams won championships. The Bulls needed six games to oust the Phoenix Suns, the Rockets going home after winning those first two games in Orlando and sweeping Shaquille O’Neal and the Magic.

Joel Embiid posted a question on social media after the Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

“Did the Bucks give them the championship?” Embiid said referring to the offseason move that led to Damian Lillard coming to Milwaukee and sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, who later traded Holiday to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics acquired Holiday in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and two-first round picks.

Even though the actual deal that brought Holiday to Boston went through Portland, Embiid squarely put the blame on the Bucks for letting Holiday, one of the main contributors to Milwaukee’s 2021 NBA title, walk away and allow chief conference rival Boston to snag him and be a difference-maker in its championship run. Holiday was a two-way standout in the Celtics’ convincing 4-1 series win over the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Holiday’s role with the Celtics was far different than his role with the Bucks. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are Boston’s two primary scorers and the ball is in their hands the majority of the time. Holiday adjusted to his new role, playing off the ball more and playing in the dunker spot more than he’s ever had his entire career. What Holiday didn’t change was his lockdown defense.

The six-time All-NBA defensive player put on an absolute clinic on how to play on-ball defense, especially in the NBA Finals against Kyrie Irving. Irving entered the Finals smoking hot as he averaged 27 points per game in Western Conference finals. With Holiday as the primary defender on him, Irving struggled mightily against the Celtics. Irving was held to 12, 16, and 15 points in three of the five games, and he was unable to shake free from Holiday’s grip.

Holiday was the catalyst of a smothering Boston defense that held the Mavericks under 100 points four times — all Celtics victories.

On Draymond Green’s podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” the Golden State Warriors forward said the Celtics were gifted a title thanks to the Bucks’ lack of foresight, the Blazers’ tanking, and the creative mind of general manager Brad Stevens.

Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were the two big acquisitions by Stevens during the offseason. Both were instrumental in helping the Celtics produce a league-best 64 wins and the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason. They were significant upgrades from Robert Williams and Marcus Smart. Both were members of Boston’s 2022 Finals runner-up team.

“We knew we need to make some changes. Brad [Stevens] brought in Jrue and KP, and we were able to raise banner No. 18,” Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck said while accepting the 18th championship trophy in franchise history.

Smart won NBA defensive player of the year in 2022, but he was more of a terrific help defender than a straight-up shutdown defender. He is also a world-class flopper, which hurt his team more than it helped. Holiday, by contrast, is arguably the best one-on-one defender in basketball and flopping is not in his vocabulary. A true lockdown perimeter guard who can be left on an island and be able to shut down his man with little help.

Holiday’s impact wasn’t just felt on the defensive end. His leadership and voice in the huddle were immeasurable, helping Tatum and Brown navigate through tense moments in the postseason. Holiday’s calming voice — something Smart couldn’t provide because he wore his emotions on his sleeve — was exactly what the Celtics needed to get over the hump after multiple trips to the conference finals and falling one game short of a title in 2022.

“I think there’s some other things Milwaukee could have done to keep Jrue. But yes, they did [give Boston the championship] … Joel Embiid’s question that he knew the answer to is absolutely correct,” Draymond said on his podcast. “It did give them the championship and Boston has done the job of putting it together. You got to give those guys credit … but he gave it to them.”

Even Tatum couldn’t believe the Celtics were able to acquire Holiday.

“I don’t know how they let us get him, but I’m so happy we got Jrue on our team and we’re so fortunate,” Tatum said after Game 3 in an interview with NBA TV.

The Celtics certainly wouldn’t have beaten the Mavericks in the NBA Finals without Holiday, now a two-time NBA champion.

“I’m just about winning, and I want to win, whatever it takes,” Holiday told Fox Sports. “It doesn’t matter if I score. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if I’m on the court. If I’m handing people water bottles and towels, and if that’s helping us build our confidence and good chemistry and getting us wins, then I’ll do it.”

To make sure Holiday is not going anywhere, the Celtics signed him to a four-year extension worth $135 million. The contract will keep Holiday in Boston through the 2027-28 season.

Celtics are not making the same mistake the Bucks made.

The small ball era had a good run. The Denver Nuggets — led by 6-foot-11, 285-pound center Nikola Jokic — officially expired the small ball era with a brand of old-school basketball principles that rely mostly on size and strength over pace and space.

The Nuggets plowed through the 2023 NBA playoffs, winning 16 of 20 games. Their 16-4 postseason mark is the best since the 2007 San Antonio Spurs. Denver put an exclamation point on its historic playoff run by winning the franchise’s first NBA title after overpowering and overwhelming the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

“[The Nuggets] have what Golden State had. They’ve changed the game,” Fox Sports NBA analyst Ric Bucher said on FS1’s “The Herd.”

“With a point center in Jokic, now I expect teams are going to be looking to find that athletic 7-footers who might be able to match up with him to make the game difficult,” Bucher added, “or find some sort of wrinkle that is going to have an answer for Nikola Jokic.”

The Nuggets roll out a conventional starting five with Jamal Murray (point guard), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (shooting guard), Michael Porter Jr. (small forward), Aaron Gordon (power forward), and Jokic (center). They all have ideal size for their respective positions. Murray is a 6-4 point guard who can score at all three levels and post-up smaller guards. Caldwell-Pope is a 6-5 guard with elite defensive talent as a 3-and-D wing. Porter Jr. is a lengthy 6-10 shooting forward who can provide instant offense. Gordon is an athletic 6-8 forward who started his career in Orlando as a spectacular slam dunker, but became a rugged player willing to do all the dirty work and take on difficult defensive assignments.

And then there is Jokic.

The big man from Sombor, Serbia, is a throwback center with a touch of modern. He takes high percentage shots. He sets solid screens. He rebounds the ball. He can hit 3-pointers, but it’s more a luxury than a necessity. What makes Jokic special is his ability to be playmaker as the 5-man. The Nuggets run their offense through Jokic, and he’s very comfortable being the quarterback.

Having the center be the focal point is certainly nostalgic. It goes against the new-school way where threes are better than twos. Analytics shifted the attack from inside-out to outside-in.

The Nuggets don’t subscribe to this approach. They are more of a conventional team that would have been a good fit in the 1980s and ’90s.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone — whose father Brendan won two championships as a member of Chuck Daly’s staff with the Detroit Pistons — leans heavily on his starting five. He usually finishes games with his core five guys, an anomaly in today’s game as most coaches prefer going small instead of staying big. The Heat deployed this small-ball, perimeter-oriented philosophy and rode it to an improbable postseason run, becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals. The Heat advanced through each round by wearing down opponents with 3-point shooting, near-flawless execution in the fourth quarter, and a perplexing zone defense.

It almost work until Miami ran into Denver in The Finals.

Miami’s formula worked against Eastern Conference teams. It wasn’t as effective against the bigger Nuggets, whose size, strength, and skill — three traits that define their all-world center Jokic — were too much to overcome. Jokic and Co. found the mismatches and punished the mismatches throughout the series.

Jokic enjoyed a sensational NBA Finals debut, averaging nearly a triple-double (30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists) en route to winning Finals MVP. He was too big and too skilled for his counterpart Bam Adebayo. Bam had a solid series (22.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists) but his numbers were pedestrian compared to Jokic. Adebayo’s effort would have been good enough against the majority of NBA centers. But Jokic is no ordinary center.

Bam is an undersized center (listed at 6-9, 255) best suited as a big forward. In boxing terms, Bam would be a light heavyweight. He was simply no match for a super heavyweight like The Joker.

Denver’s core group is homegrown. The Nuggets drafted Murray in the first round in 2016. Two years later, they drafted Porter Jr. Team executive Calvin Booth, who took over as general manager in 2020, made two important acquisitions: Gordon in 2021 and Caldwell-Pope in 2022.

Caldwell-Pope gave the Nuggets some much-needed perimeter defense with championship pedigree (he won with the Lakers in 2020), while Gordon provided athleticism and versatility on both ends. He has embraced a supporting role after being the featured attraction in Orlando.

“He’s been put into the perfect role as the third guy [behind Jokic and Murray],” said Bucher, who compares Gordon’s arc to Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, struggled to carry the burden of being the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but thrived as the third or fourth wheel with the Golden State Warriors.

Gordon entered the league with a ton of hype and a ton of expectations as the No. 4 overall pick by the Magic in the 2014 draft, the same year Jokic was drafted.

Jokic’s NBA odyssey was an unlikely one. He was drafted in the second round. Forty players were taken ahead of him. He looked overweight and out of shape when he first played in the Las Vegas summer league.

“I always think about this and laugh because that first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape — he’s a nice player,” Malone said of Jokic, whose draft scouting report read something like this: Slow-footed, below-average athlete; doesn’t get much lift off the floor; doesn’t have the speed or burst to drive past opponents or stay in front of them laterally on defense.

No one ever could have seen Jokic winning MVPs and becoming the most dominant big man in basketball since Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan.

“That speaks to his dedication to his craft, getting in great shape and understanding that for him to fulfill his potential, he had to work harder, and he’s done that,” said Malone, who quickly realized he had something special in Jokic during his rookie year in the 2015-16 season.

“There was a game in his rookie season at San Antonio. He put up a crazy stat line,” Malone recalled. “[He put up] 25 or 26 points, 12 or 13 rebounds, six or seven assists against a guy like Tim Duncan. That was for me when the light bulb went off and saying, ‘Wow.’ What he just did, who he did it against, on the road against this team, coached by [Gregg Popovich]. This kid has a chance to be a special player.”

Malone had one more puzzle to figure out. Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic were both on the roster and room wasn’t big enough to house them. Malone had to chose one.

“I was bringing Nikola off the bench,” Malone recalled. “After we lost a game at Dallas, I remember having the conversation [and said to myself] ‘What am I doing?’ This kid was All-Rookie as a center. I started him the next game, probably around December 12th Year 2, and that’s when our team took off, he became the focal point of everything we did. And we realized we had a player we can build an offense and a team and an organization around.”

Malone made the right call.

With Jokic as their centerpiece, the Nuggets are now sitting on the Iron Throne ruling the basketball world. It took seven years, but it was worth the wait. Denver’s loyal fans waited almost five decades to celebrate a championship. Thanks to a plus-size starting lineup spearheaded by an uber talented big man rewriting the NBA record book, the Mile High City finally got its championship banner.

Jamal Murray had an opportunity to tie the score as time expired in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals, but his step-back 3-pointer against Jimmy Butler bounced off the rim.

It was a shot Murray has made on multiple occasions. When he missed, he was more surprised than than disappointed. It shows the level of confidence Murray has in his ability to close games. He felt good about the shot. He didn’t feel good about his lack of intensity throughout the game. “I didn’t play terrible,” he said. “I felt like I could have done a lot more.”

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was around Murray for the next two days leading up to the pivotal Game 3 in Miami. He could tell his 26-year-old point guard was itching to redeem himself and was ready for a big bounce-back game.

“I could tell, speaking to him and being around him the last 48 hours, that he was putting a lot of Game 2 on him,” Malone said. “It wasn’t just him. It was me and everyone of our players. It was collective. But that’s what champions do. That’s what warriors do. They battled back. I just felt his presence all game long [in Game 3]. Forget the stats for a second. I felt Jamal Murray’s presence, his energy. He was here. He was in the moment.”

In a game the Nuggets sorely needed to regain home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, Murray and Nikola Jokic authored what Malone called their “greatest performance” as a duo in their seven years together. Jokic and Murray became the first teammates to pull off a 30-10-10 triple-double game in NBA history. Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists. Not to be outdone, Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists.

“The whole playoffs he was playing phenomenal. He’s a really good leader out there. We’re just following him,” Jokic said of Murray, who might be the best player in the 2023 postseason if not for the 6-11, 280-pound monster he shares a locker room with.

Murray and Jokic have been spectacular. Both are at the peak of their powers and looking more and more like the best 1-2 punch in basketball. The rest of the NBA should be worried because the Murray-Jokic partnership could have a long, dominant run as long as they can stay healthy.

“It’s a great duo. Their games complement each other,” Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Both those guys are elite-level talent.”

Jokic is Denver’s undisputed best player. He’s arguably the best basketball player in the world. If Jokic is the engine of Denver’s Formula 1-type racing machine, then Murray is the fuel that ignites the Denver machine.

“Murray is an electric playoff performer,” Spoelstra said. “Murray will draw second and third defenders. You have to pick him up beyond the 3-point line. And he’s ignitable.”

Murray set the tone early for Game 3 as he took on the Butler defensive challenge and brought the intensity from the tip. He scored 20 of his game-high 34 points in the first half. He shot 12-for-22 from the field, he was 3-for-6 from 3-point range, and 7-for-8 from the line.

The type of energy and aggression Murray brought to the table against the Heat represented what he’d been consistently doing the entire postseason. He was sensational during the Nuggets sweep of the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

Jokic was the consistent jab that kept the Lakers at bay. Murray was the right-hand cross that knocked LeBron James and Co. out of the playoffs. Murray’s performances in games 2 and 3 against L.A. were his signature moments. He scored 23 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to give the Nuggets a 2-0 lead in the series. In Game 3, he dropped another 37-point outing on the road to give the Nuggets a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Murray is one of the game’s fourth-quarter performers. His ability to come through in clutch situations was one of the primary reasons why the Nuggets reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

About the only time Murray’s confidence wavered slightly was during the beginning of his rehabilitation after tearing his ACL in April of 2021. Murray had some doubts about regaining the form he flashed in the bubble season of 2020.

“I remember being in the bus with him, going to the airport after he did the injury [against] Golden State the next day and he had tears in his eyes, and that was the message. ‘Hey man, you’re gonna come back from this. And not only are you going to come back, you’re going to be better,'” said Malone. “In that moment, it’s really hard to believe that. His first thought was, ‘Are you guys gonna trade me? I’m damaged goods, you guys are gonna trade me now.’ “

Malone responded with, “I hugged him and said, ‘Hell no, you’re ours. We love you, we’re going to help you get back, and you’re going to be a better player for it.”

Malone was right. Murray not only fully recovered but he became a better player since the ACL injury. The 2023 playoffs is a reminder of the player the Nuggets selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Kentucky. The kid from Kitchener, Ontario (Canada), has continued to find ways to improve and show out on the biggest stage in the world.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made some waves when he suggested that Murray is the focal point of the Nuggets’ attack. Seems silly to think that a guard — who has never been named to a single All-Star game or make All-NBA — be the focal point of a team that employs two-time MVP and All-NBA center Nikola Jokic.

But here was Kerr, without hesitation, circling Murray as the top target on the white board.

“I can see [the Heat] in their coaching meeting saying, ‘Murray is the head of the snake, not Jokic,'” Kerr said during Draymond Green’s podcast.

The Nuggets are not just a one-man show. They are a complete team with a scary two-headed monster leading the attack.

Steph Curry plays with a lot of emotion, but it is extremely rare to see him cry on the court.

That’s what happened in the final moments of Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals in Boston. The Golden State Warriors were seconds away from winning their fourth NBA championship in eight seasons and Curry let it all out. Tears came down his face after hugging his dad Dell Curry, who was standing under the basket getting ready to celebrate with his son. Steph was so overcome with emotion that he fell to the floor with still 2.7 seconds left on the game clock.

Former NBA player and current TV analyst Grant Hill asked Curry about his moment vulnerability and in classic Curry fashion, he gave a very candid and thoughtful response.

“Any time you’re trying to sustain anything at this level, there’s just so much emotional baggage and the physical nature of what we do. It’s hard,” said Curry, who took home the Bill Russell award as the MVP of the 2022 NBA Finals after leading the Golden State Warriors to a hard-fought victory over the Boston Celtics in a grueling six-game series.

Curry was a unanimous choice as MVP of The Finals after averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series. And he did most of his damage while being guarded by the reigning defensive player of the year in Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

The 34-year-old sharpshooter finished with 34 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the clincher, giving him 30 or more in three straight games at Boston’s TD Garden. The signature moment came in Game 4 when Curry dropped 43 points and hit seven 3-pointers in a 107-97 win that tied the series at 2. Boston didn’t win another game in the series after that Curry flurry.

“To go to five straight Finals — like I said after going through these last two years — and try to maintain that belief and carry that every single day,” Curry said. “Every time we come into the gym and practice. Every time you come into game. Every time you step into a locker room. You understand that leadership. You have to carry that. Whether guys believe it or not, or you’re gonna end up in the finish line or not, I let all that out at the end of the game. This one definitely feels different.”

This Warriors’ championship run was certainly different. It was sweeter. It always feels sweet to prove people wrong. The Dubs were left for dead after missing the playoffs the last two seasons. They heard all the negative chatter. The dynasty was done. Klay Thompson may never be the same after ACL and Achilles surgeries. They can’t win a title without Kevin Durant. Draymond Green is getting old.

But the Warriors found a way to build it back up, and now they’re back at the top of the NBA mountain.

“What we’ve been through over these last two years have been a lot,” Curry said. “To be able to just let all that out, especially in this building [TD Garden Arena in Boston], it’s a historic building. I was just thinking about all that.”

He added, “Just proud of everybody that played a part in making this a reality.”

Seth Curry, Steph’s younger brother, celebrated with him on the court. Steph said his brother asked this rhetorical question: “What are they gonna say now?”

What are the talking heads and critics going to say? Absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. As Warriors defensive stalwart Draymond Green put it, Curry left no doubt that he’s an all-time great. Steph cemented his place on basketball’s King’s Landing after winning a fourth title and a Finals MVP.

“Without [Steph], none of this happens,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry. “That’s not taking anything away from Joe [Lacob] and Peter’s [Gruber] ownership. They built an incredible organization. Bob Myers is a helluva GM. We’ve had so many great players. But Steph ultimately is why this run has happened.”

Kerr was asked if this was the least talented Warriors squad to win a title. Kerr wasn’t in full agreement with that assessment, saying the 2022 Warriors may not have the same offensive firepower as the previous Golden State champs but they’re just as talented especially defensively.

“We had Kevin Durant for three years with this core group. We’re untouchable,” Kerr said. “This [2022 team] has been compared to our first championship team in 2015. Maybe there are some similarities. But this is still a talented group of players.”

He continued: “Our defense was spectacular in this series, especially the last three games. The Celtics had the best defense in the league but we were right behind them. What made this group really special besides the obvious with Steph was the defensive intensity and versatility.”

It’s laughable to think that there are still people, including basketball pundits, who question Curry’s place among the game’s all-time greats. Draymond calls those questioning Curry’s legacy as “garbage.”

“He’s still Steph Curry. He’s still an all-time great. To add [a Finals MVP] to your resume, as a competitor, you want that. For him, well deserved. It’s been a long time in the making. He left no doubt.”

The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. The last team to pull off that feat was Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

The Warriors dynasty is definitely not over, and one of their main guys is making sure everyone knows it.

“After being counted out, dynasty being over, and all those things. To get back [in the NBA Finals] is fantastic. It’s a testament on hard work and dedication. This one feels great,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told the media after Golden State eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2022 Western Conference finals.

“I’ve always said all along, no one has proven they can beat us yet when we’re whole,” Green continued. “That is still the case.”

The Warriors have arguably the best trio in the NBA in 2022 conference finals MVP Steph Curry, comeback player of the year Klay Thompson, and first-team all-defensive player Green. The triumvirate has been powering Golden State’s machine for a decade, winning three NBA championships in a five-year span. The Golden Trio have an opportunity to add to their Hall of Fame credentials by winning a fourth title and adding the Boston Celtics to their hit list.

The Dubs being back in the Finals stage is one of the best stories of the NBA’s diamond anniversary season. Most basketball pundits thought the Dubs’ dynasty was done in 2019. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn and Thompson was dealt with two devastating injuries. The last time the Warriors’ Big 3 were in the NBA Finals together, Thompson had to be helped off the floor after suffering an ACL tear. Thompson’s comeback was derailed the following year after he tore his Achilles’ tendon during the offseason. It took almost three NBA calendar years before Curry, Green, and Thompson were finally reunited on the court, but once they were whole again the Warriors became the Warriors again. Just like Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight again after climbing out of the pit.

Golden State finished with a 53-29 regular-season record and earned a No. 3 seed in the West. Even though the Warriors didn’t finish ahead of Phoenix or Memphis, they were clearly championship contenders and used the regular season as a warm-up act for a big playoff push.

“I can’t say coming into this season that we’ll be in the NBA Finals, but we always believe with us three we have a chance,” Green said.

Green and the rest of the Warriors understood the bigger picture. They know what it takes to win a championship, and their mindset has always been that they’re still one of the best teams, if not the best, as long as they avoid the pitfalls of an 82-game grind.

“Most teams in the NBA just aren’t that good,” Green said. “You can win games in the regular season, that means nothing. We understand that. We don’t chase wins during the regular season, we chase improvement during the regular season.”

The Warriors posted a 42-17 record prior to the All-Star break, but faded down the stretch and went 11-12 without Green and Curry. Green suffered a lower back injury in January, while Curry sprained his ankle in March that forced him to miss the last month of the regular season.

Green told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill that the last two years have been “miserable.” Despite being cast aside like an aging rock band, Green and the Warriors never wavered and stuck with the plan. The plan was to lean on Curry’s offense and Green’s defense while Thompson worked his way back into the rotation, and prepare Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole for bigger roles.

The constant figure in the Warriors’ rehabilitation was Curry. The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers — who has put together back-to-back MVP-worthy seasons — said the team never lost faith despite a mountain of injuries and an overhauled roster, understanding the difficulty of the climb to the top after falling off it.

“I think internally we are all extremely proud of what it took to get back here. Yeah, it’s definitely sweet based on what we went through,” Curry said.

Curry believes the Dubs started climbing out of their two-year dark hole late in the 2021 season, winning 15 of 20 games and making the play-in game. Even though the Warriors lost both play-in games, the foundation was established for the next season.

Thompson returned to the lineup in January after two arduous rehab seasons from ACL and Achilles surgeries. In 32 games this season, Thompson averaged 20.4 points per game and shot 42% from the field. Those numbers are just a shade under what he averaged (21.5 PPG and 46.7% FG) in 2018-19 when he played 78 games.

Thompson is still not completely back to All-Star level, but the old Klay is starting to return as we get deeper into the 2022 playoffs. He punctuated the Warriors’ domination of the Mavericks in the conference finals with 32 points in the series-clinching Game 5, including eight 3-pointers. After the game, Thompson was just grateful to be back on the big stage after missing two full seasons.

“I’ve dreamt about this every day,” Thompson said about being back in the NBA Finals.

“I got really in touch with music [during rehab],” he added. “It would help me through a lot of those sessions. Just the appreciation of moving my body again. I thought about those days I couldn’t run or jump, how lucky we are to do what we do.”

Green, Curry, Thompson and Andre Iguodala are in rarified air in NBA lore. Advancing to six NBA Finals in eight years has only been done by legendary teams. Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics teams won eight straight titles from 1959-66. Jerry West’s L.A. Lakers teams made seven appearances in The Finals in nine years. Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s reached The Finals eight times during the decade. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams won six championships in eight seasons in the 1990s.

As Curry previously stated, this year’s trip to The Finals is sweet because of it it took to get to this point. Only four players remain from their first championship roster in 2015. Key pieces on their title teams like Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut are no longer around. And Kevin Durant’s heart is no longer in San Francisco. It’s in Brooklyn.

The faces may have changed but the core players and the standard they set for themselves remain the same. And a fourth championship for the remaining members of Golden State’s “Death Lineup” will surely put them on a different stratosphere in the NBA pecking order.

“We’re happy to be [in the NBA Finals], but it would help our legacy a lot if we completed the mission and won the whole thing,” Thompson said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed his first trip to the NBA Finals. (Getty Images)

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a refreshing perspective when it came to playing in the NBA Finals. Giannis wasn’t born in the United States. He was born in Greece to Nigerian parents. He wasn’t a five-star recruit. He wasn’t exposed to the AAU circuit. He wasn’t a high draft pick.

His journey to the NBA was different than most athletes. Once he became an All-Star player and a two-time NBA MVP, the last level before scaling his Mount Olympus was winning a championship. He could have easily joined a super team to win a title, just like LeBron James did when he left Cleveland for Miami and just like Kevin Durant did when he left Oklahoma City for Golden State. Instead, Giannis chose to stay in small-market Milwaukee.

“This is my city. They trust me. They believe in me. They believe in us,” Antetokounmpo said moments after he led the Bucks to the franchise’s second NBA title and their first pro basketball championship since 1971.

“Obviously I wanted to get the job done. But that’s my stubborn side. It’s easy to go somewhere and go win a championship with somebody else. It’s easy,” Giannis continued. “I could go to a superteam, and just do my part to win a championship. But this is the hard way to do it, and we did it. We f—ing did it.”

Antetokounmpo is built differently, literally and figuratively. The 6-11, 242-pound Greek Freak has been creating his own path since he started playing basketball at the age of 12. His story would make an interesting TV documentary. He stays humble because of his past life. Growing up in Greece, he sold watches, DVDs and CDs to help his family survive and make money after his parents came there as immigrants from Nigeria. Money was tight in their household, so Giannis shared basketball shoes with his older brother Thanasis. He wore Thanasis’ Kobe 4s when he played in a small gym in Athens.

Antetokounmpo was discovered playing in a small, worn-out gym in Athens. He began his pro basketball career for the youth teams of Filathlitikos in Athens. He moved up to the club’s senior team prior to the 2013 NBA draft. He didn’t know where Milwaukee was when the Bucks made him the 15th overall selection.

“Eight years ago, eight and a half years ago, when I came to the league, I didn’t know where my next meal will come from. My mom was selling stuff in the street. Now I’m here sitting at the top of the top. I’m extremely blessed. I’m extremely blessed,” Giannis told reporters while holding the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy and the Larry O’Brien trophy.

“If I never have a chance to sit on this table ever again, I’m fine with it. I’m fine with it,” he said. “I hope this can give everybody around the world hope. I want them to believe in their dreams.”

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer believes Antetokounmpo’s appreciation for life is what makes him special.

“He appreciates all the little things, coming to the practice facility and getting in extra shots. He appreciates just everything,” Budenholzer said of his superstar. “When you’re around people [who appreciate life], their spirit fills you up. Just to listen to him, that’s a man who appreciates life. Appreciates everything that’s been put in front of him, attacks it, and makes everything great. I love being around him.”

When ESPN personality Rachel Nichols asked Giannis about his Finals experience, he used the word “enjoy” nearly a dozen times. “I feel like I’ve come a long way. Just to be able to sit here. Being interviewed by you guys, playing in this game, being with my teammates. It’s been a long journey. I’m trying to enjoy every single moment.”

Antetokounmpo said it’s “amazing” seeing 20,000 fans back inside the arena and almost 20,000 fans outside the arena is a win in itself after the whole shut down for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t worry about the outcome,” the Bucks All-Star forward said. “I want to enjoy the game. I want my teammates to enjoy the game. If I enjoy the game, I have an opportunity to win every game we play.”

Giannis even had a hilarious response when longtime NBA reporter Marc J. Spears asked him if it bothers him when opposing fans troll him for his very deliberate routine at the free throw line.

“Of course I notice! 20,000 people yelling 1, 2, 3, 4…”

Giannis talks about fans counting while he’s at the free throw line. pic.twitter.com/qB4BhZf9eM

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) July 7, 2021

“I think it’s something that’s going to follow me for the rest of my career,” he said with a grin. “I just have to embrace it and have fun with it. But at the end of the line, I’m just focused on my routine, my technique, my body, and that’s it. Like I said, it’s not going to stop. I just have to learn to live with it.”

Spears followed up by asking Giannis if he hears the fans counting. “Of course I notice. Twenty thousand people yelling 1, 2, 3, 4,” he said while laughing.

Playing the game of basketball is fun. And Giannis prefers it that way. It allows him to play with freedom and passion. At times, he plays so much instinctively that basketball pundits nitpick his game like politicians grilling witnesses on Capitol Hill.

But if there’s one thing Giannis cannot be criticized for is his effort. He doesn’t cheat the game. He’ll play until he has emptied his tank. He plays with so much energy and effort that at the end of the day he’s able to live with the result.

It is this very same approach that allowed Giannis to deliver the defining moment of his basketball career in Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Finals in Milwaukee against the Phoenix Suns. TV analyst Jeff Van Gundy called it one of the greatest plays you’ll ever see. Bucks forward Pat Connaughton called it the best block of all time. Another teammate, Khris Middleton, referred to it as an “Oh shit!” moment.

For Giannis, it was simply a great hustle play.

Giannis' HUGE BLOCK helps seal the @Bucks Game 4 win! #ThatsGame#NBAFinals tied at 2-2.. Game 5 is Saturday at 9pm/et on ABC. pic.twitter.com/aanNuTUtlF

— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2021

Giannis’ block of Ayton’s potential dunk came with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter with the Bucks ahead 101-99. Instead of the game being tied, the play ignited a Milwaukee run that put the game away.

“I thought I was gonna get dunked on, to be honest with you,” Antetokounmpo admitted. “You risk it. You kind of feel it. I felt him rolling to the rim behind me, so I knew the only chance to get a stop is just jump toward the rim and try to cover that angle for him to score.”

He continued: “I saw the play coming. I saw that [Devin Booker] was going to throw the lob and I was just going to jump vertical toward the rim. Hopefully I can be there in time, and I was there in time and was able to get a good block and go down and get two points.”

Antetokounmpo said the play didn’t catch him by surprise. He saw the play develop and used his remarkable instincts to thwart it.

“Once I saw [Booker] put the ball on one hand, he was too far for a layup. So I knew he was trying to lob it,” Antetokounmpo said. “I committed so much, I felt [Ayton] roll to the rim behind me. So I knew the only change to get a stop is to jump towards the rim and try to cover the angle and [prevent] him to score. I didn’t jump to block the ball. I jumped towards the rim. That’s what kinda helped me, put me in position to get the block.”

Reaction around the basketball community was swift. The best one may have come from former NBA player and current NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony.

He tweeted: “When you factor in everything Giannis had to do on this play! May be the single best defensive play I have ever seen!!!”

Whether it’ll be viewed as the greatest block of all time is up for debate. What can’t be debated is the fact that it’s the signature moment of Giannis’ career. What also can’t be debated is Giannis’ place in history. He will go down in history as one of the greats. He’s an MVP and he’s a champion. He did it the hard way and we could all learn from that.

“I know I’m a role model. But this should make every person, every kid, anybody around the world believe in their dreams,” Antetokounmpo said. “No matter whatever you feel when you’re down, when you don’t think it’s going to happen for you or you might not make it in your career — might be basketball, might be anything — just believe in what you’re doing and keep working.

“Don’t let nobody tell you what you can be and what you cannot do. Just believe, man. I hope I give people around the world, from Africa, from Europe, hope that it can be done. It can be done.”

Deandre Ayton is causing a major reassessment of the value of an old-school basketball center. When Ayton was selected No. 1 overall in the 2018 NBA draft, some internet draft “experts” thought the Phoenix Suns were making a mistake for investing in a 7-footer who doesn’t fit the modern big preferred by analytics.

Now, the 250-pound Bahamian beast is making a believer out of almost everyone in the basketball world — including the analytics nerds.

Ayton made a splashy debut in the NBA Finals, scoring 22 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, shooting 80 percent from the field (making eight of 10 shots) against the Milwaukee Bucks. Only three other players put up those kinds of numbers in the NBA Finals: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“I’m just happy. I get goosebumps. Sometimes I overwhelm myself on the way to the game. I’m having a lot of fun because my guys in here, they keep me level,” said Ayton, who is shooting a Shaq-like 71 percent from the field in the 2021 postseason while averaging 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Chris Paul and Devin Booker grab all the headlines and the SportsCenter highlights, but it’s Ayton who might be the most important player on the Suns.

Ayton gave the L.A. Lakers fits in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, going toe-to-toe with Lakers superstar Anthony Davis. After dispatching the Lakers, Suns swept the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals. In that series, Ayton was matched against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Ayton basically played Jokic to a draw, which was a win for the Suns.

In the conference finals, Ayton consistently destroyed the L.A. Clippers’ small-ball lineup and forced Clippers coach Ty Lue to go back to a more conventional lineup with 7-footer Ivica Zubac at center.

Jokic, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and Utah’s Rudy Gobert — the three big men regarding by many experts as 1-2-3 in the pecking order — are all sitting at home while Ayton keeps getting stronger with each round and appears ready to challenge Jokic, Embiid, and Gobert for a spot on the All-NBA teams.

“He’s just locked into the role,” Suns coach Monty Williams said his third-year center. “Sometimes when you tell a player they have a role, they tend to think you’re limiting their ability. I don’t think DA thinks that. I think he understands his role and how he can affect winning, on both sides of the ball.”

Ayton’s role on the Suns is simple. Offensively, when he’s not catching lobs and finishing at the rim, he helps trigger the offense by setting screens, freeing up Paul and Booker on many mid-range forays. Defensively, he protects the paint and secures any defensive rebound he can get his hands on. It’s imperative for him to win the battle of the boards because the Suns are not the biggest team in the league. Ayton doesn’t mind doing all the dirty work.

“He’s just a presence down there,” Williams said of his young center, who turns 23 on July 23. “Sometimes they have to run two guys at him to keep him off the glass, and that allows our wings to pick up some offensive rebounds.”

Williams added: “I think his focus during the playoffs has been something that doesn’t surprise me — I just didn’t expect him, as young as he is, to be locked in,” Williams said. “And he’s been listening to Chris [Paul], all of our older guys when it comes to the experience, the playoff mentality and everything he’s doing in the weight room. I’ll look over in the weight room and he’s doing something in the weight room that I have never seen him do before, and it’s usually something that Chris has in his program.”

Ayton has totally bought into what Williams has been preaching since the day he got hired as Phoenix’s head coach. Williams wanted Ayton to get in better shape and focus on the game plan.

“He’s watching a ton of film on his own, so I just think he’s embracing the experience,” Williams said. “To be as young as he is and his first time going through it, I did not expect him to be where he is right now as far as his focus and attention to detail and the level of force that he’s playing with.”

There was a moment in Game 2 of the NBA Finals involving Williams and Ayton that’ll inspire basketball fans. Ayton was sulking a bit because he wasn’t playing up to his standard. Williams immediately noticed his big man was feeling a little down, so he took the time to pump him up.

“Look at me. You set a high level for yourself. That’s why you’re down. That’s great,” Williams told Ayton. “Now go reach that level. And you can reach it with force. Dominate the game with force.”

Ayton responded with another forceful game.

LeBron James was named 2020 NBA Finals MVP. (Getty Images)

Haters are gonna hate. Those are the words of the great American lyricist Taylor Swift.

LeBron James has been so historically great that we tend to overlook or even dismiss his greatness. His resume is about as complete as any legendary hooper. His legacy is set. He doesn’t need to prove anything. However, no matter how much success he has achieved, LeBron still has detractors. There seems to be this “but” at the end of some LeBron narrative. No matter how many records James breaks, his haters find something to pick on.

He took a below average Cleveland squad to the 2007 NBA Finals, but he got swept by San Antonio.

He won two championships in Miami, but he lost to Dallas and San Antonio.

He ended Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought in 2016, but he lost three out of four times in The Finals to Golden State.

It doesn’t seem to matter what LeBron does. It is never enough to shut down the haters. And that’s fine with him because it is the very thing that fuels his thirst to strive for greatness.

Add winning a championship for basketball’s version of Camelot to LeBron’s outstanding resume. James ended the worst six-year period in Lakers history after winning the 2020 NBA title inside the Disney World bubble. When you bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy to L.A., you elevate your GOAT card from gold to platinum. He is now firmly in the top five, joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant.

“I told [Lakers owner] Jeanie [Buss] when I came here that I was gonna put this franchise back in the position where it belongs,” James said during the postgame ceremony shortly after securing his fourth NBA title with his third franchise and winning his fourth Finals MVP. He’s the first player to win Finals MVP with three different teams. He won it twice with the Miami Heat, once with the Cleveland Cavaliers and L.A. Lakers.

“For me to be a part of such a historical franchise is an unbelievable feeling,” James said. “Not only for myself but for the organization, for the coaches, for the trainers, for everybody here. We just want our respect. Rob [Pelinka] wants his respect. Coach [Frank] Vogel wants his respect. Organization wants their respect. Laker Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect, too.”

How can you not respect what James has done in his career? What he has accomplished in the postseason alone should be enough to give him the respect he richly deserves. He took down Oklahoma City and its three MVPs Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2012. He took down the mighty Golden State Warriors and their three sure-to-be Hall of Famers Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in 2016. And in 2020 at age 35 and his body battered by 17 grueling seasons, he somehow found the mental and physical strength to lead the Lakers to their 17th world championship in arguably the most difficult NBA season. He didn’t have the benefit of home-court advantage. His team was mourning the death of Kobe. He had to deal with all the stress happening outside the bubble such as the protests nationwide over racial injustice and the deadly pandemic that put the world on lockdown.

“They’re all special in their own right. They all have their obstacles,” James said of his four championships. “Things that went on during the course of the year on and off the floor. But one is not less than the other. When you are able to put yourself in this position to win a championship the first thing you think about is how much work you put in over the course of the year. How much you’ve sacrificed, how much you’ve dedicated to the game and to your craft. That’s always been the most fulfilling thing for me besides seeing my teammates as happy as they are. Being able to knowing that you can put the work in, literally trust the process, live about the process and then see the results. Not only from a basketball player but from everybody. Whatever craft, whatever work space you’re in to be able to put the work in and live along the process and build along the process and see the results, I think we all live for that moment.”

For the LeBron doubters who feel that winning a title in the bubble isn’t legitimate or must be marked with an asterisk, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka delivered the perfect response.

“We had to face so many things,” Pelinka said. “The social unrest that the country faced. The January 26 tragedy [when Kobe Bryant died]. The pandemic. They really draw you deeper to what matters; your faith, your family, your friends. I think what we’ve been able to accomplish means even more because it was hard. A lot of people say ‘Oh, will there be an asterisk on the 2020 championship?’ I think there’ll be a gold star, a badge of honor, because it’s been so tough to get to the end.”

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel competed against LeBron when he was the coach of the Indiana Pacers for five seasons. He found a greater appreciation for LeBron after coaching him for one season in L.A. “He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Vogel said. “If you think you know, you don’t know until you are around him every day coaching him, you’re seeing his mind, you’re seeing his adjustments, seeing the way he leads the group. If you think you know, you don’t know.”

Vogel added: “Coaching against him, you don’t think you can be any more impressed with what he brings to the table. But then when you coach him you understand that it’s more impressive coaching him than coaching against him because of the intellectual mind that he has about the game of basketball and all that goes into it. The importance of defense, the importance of chemistry, the importance of collaborating with the coaching staff and the front office, and being a team player. Being coachable. All those types of things you don’t see from afar unless you’re around him everyday. I just couldn’t be more impressed for what he’s done for our team this year.”

LeBron turns 36 in December. He will entering his 18th NBA season. There’s no telling how many more years he has left. Even LeBron is noncommittal on how long he wants to play. He hasn’t put a cap on it. “I know I got a lot of years left. I know I can continue to play at a high level,” said James, who has hinted on many occasions that family comes first. He has three kids, including one (Bronny) who plays for high school basketball powerhouse Sierra Canyon.

Whatever the case may be, if LeBron decides to hang up the sneakers to become a full-time dad and businessman, his basketball legacy is secure.  And for those people who still doubt his greatness, LeBron’s message: Bring it on.

“I think personally thinking that I have something to prove fuels me. And it fueled me over these last year and half since my injury,” James said. “It fueled me because no matter what I’ve done in my career at this point there’s still rumblings of doubt. Comparing me to the history of the game. Has he done this? Has he done that? Having that in my head, having that in my mind, I say to myself ‘Why not still something to prove.’ I think it fuels me.”

After making that impassioned remark, LeBron put a cigar in his mouth and took a few puffs. He took a moment to let his detractors and doubters know — if they don’t know already — what he just did. He smoked them all.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

LeBron James knocked off Jimmy Butler and the Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. (Getty Images)

NBA Hall of Famer and current NBA TV analyst Isiah Thomas offered the simplest and candid commentary on the 2020 NBA Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

The NBA playoffs are all about adjustments. Teams that can make the proper corrections during the course of a series usually comes out on top. But there’s only so much a coaching staff can do in terms of schematic tweaks. Even if the effort is there and the execution is nearly flawless, the team with the best talent eventually comes out on top.

The Finals inside the coronavirus-free bubble at the Walt Disney World in Orlando offered a fascinating chess match, pitting the Los Angeles Lakers’ two battle-tested playmakers in LeBron James and Rajon Rondo — who have appeared in more than 300 playoff games combined and have seen any imaginable defense during their storied careers — against the defensive-minded and mentally tough Miami Heat squad led by two-way players Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Styles create great matchups. In this matchup, the bigger and stronger Lakers presented the undersized Heat a huge challenge. Not only do the Lakers possess great size, but they were faster, more athletic and more experienced. It’s like competing against Thor in the Olympic hammer throw.

It was a daunting task for the underdog Heat, and it became nearly impossible after veteran guard Goran Dragic (foot) and Adebayo (neck) both suffered significant injuries that limited their impact in the series and disrupted the Heat’s regular rotation.

The championship series played out just as most of us expected. The Lakers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the series thanks to the dominance of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The Heat avoided getting swept thanks to a couple of historic triple-double games from Butler. But once the magic dust from Mickey’s wand disappeared, the Lakers’ size, length, depth and superior talent wore down the undermanned and overmatched Heat. The Lakers won each round in five games, knocking off All-Stars Damian Lillard, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in the West before taking down two-time championship coach Erik Spoelstra in The Finals.

Spoelstra threw everything at the top-seeded Lakers, including the kitchen sink. But it wasn’t enough to derail LeBron from winning his fourth NBA title, Davis’ first and the 17th overall championship for the Lakers franchise, matching the Boston Celtics’ all-time record.

Here are a couple of observations from the NBA Finals.

Sizing up the Heat zone

L.A. has the best frontcourt in the league. They entered every postseason series with a significant size advantage and they used that edge to near perfection, using their great length to create mismatches on both ends of the floor. In an era when teams prefer to go small rather than go big, the Lakers are an anomaly. They are insanely long with a plethora of big men to deploy and a pair of big guards in Danny Green (6-6) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6-5) who can smother the opposing team’s primary ball handlers. Dwight Howard (6-11) and JaVale McGee (6-0) rotate at center, but when head coach Frank Vogel decides to go “small” he inserts 6-8 Markief Morris at power forward, slides Davis to center, and plays LeBron at small forward. Vogel’s finishing lineup almost always includes their best defenders: Rondo, Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, LeBron and Davis. Vogel also has the option of throwing in Green and Kyle Kuzma, depending on the matchups.

Spoelstra and his coaching staff were able to confound the Celtics with an inverted 2-3 zone defense in the Eastern Conference finals. The uniqueness about the Heat zone was Spo flipped it. The forwards were at the top and the guards were on the baseline with Adebayo patrolling the middle. It was highly effected against a center-less Celtics squad, but it was sliced up by the Lakers like a Papa John’s pizza. LeBron or Davis took turns flashing to the middle above the free throw line, which is what you should do against a zone. With LeBron or Davis collapsing the heart of the zone, it opened up the baseline for dunks and layups and freed up shooters on the wings and corners. When Howard was paired with Davis, he would roam the baseline for easy lobs.

Spoelstra threw a new wrinkle after the second game with a hybrid 1-2-2 zone and a little bit of a box-and-one whenever Davis was on the court. The clever plan worked for at least one game as the Heat were able to steal a game and make the executives at ABC very happy because it prevented an embarrassing sweep. But Spo and Heat could only fool the Lakers once. After LeBron and the Lakers coaching staff watched the film, they knew what to fix and cleaned up the sloppy mistakes.

Vogel utilized a smaller lineup in the next game, pairing Morris with Davis and LeBron up front. The Lakers also made more 3-point shots, which will force any team out of a zone defense. Caldwell-Pope, Green and Kuzma made seven of the team’s 14 3-pointers in Game 4, propelling the Lakers to a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Putting it all on the line

Let’s flash back to the 2006 NBA Finals. The Heat were down 2-0 and on the brink of getting wiped off the floor by the Dallas Mavericks. Enter Dwyane Wade. The then young superstar took over the series by forcefully attacking the basket and forcing the referees to make tough calls (some were not so tough). Wade lived at the free throw line throughout the series and the Heat eventually won in six games and Wade was named Finals MVP.

Flash forward to 2020. Jimmy Butler put his Wade cape on and lived at the free throw line in games 2 and 3. The Heat as a team made 31 of 34 free throws in Game 2, with Jimmy Buckets leading the way by converting 11 of 12 from the line. Butler revved it up in Game 3 as he went 12-for-14 from the line, seeking and searching for contact each time he drove to the basket.

You can paint it however you like. Whether you believe in conspiracy theories or not, you cannot deny the simple fact that referees play a big part in deciding games especially in the playoffs. It has been that way for ages. Butler and the Heat benefitted from several 50-50 calls that allowed the games to be close.

Best performance by a duo

There were two big reasons why the Lakers were able to dismantle the Heat: LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Finals showed us what happens when two second-team All-NBA caliber players like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo take on two first-team All-NBAers in LeBron and AD. As good as Butler was in the series, LeBron was better. And Bam may be an up-and-coming superstar, he is still not in Davis’ league. It boils down to this. The Heat have very good players, but the Lakers have two all-time great players. That’s the difference.

We haven’t seen a Lakers duo dominate The Finals like this since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Davis’ 34-point output in Game 1 was the third-best opening act in The Finals since Shaq’s 43-point outburst against the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 Finals. Then, in the pivotal Game 4, Davis showcased why he was a first-team All-NBA defensive player. He was credited with four blocks, but altered at least a dozen shots. AD also took on the challenge of guarding Butler one-on-one, making it extremely difficult for the Heat forward to get to his favorite spots.

“The guy can do everything defensively,” LeBron said. “That’s why he’s the defensive player of the year.”

With AD taking the Butler assignment on defense, LeBron was able to save his legs on offense. After experiencing a hiccup against Butler in Game 3, getting thoroughly outplayed for the first time in his illustrious career and hearing about it from the media pundits for 24 hours in between games, LeBron rebounded nicely the rest of the series and summoned enough energy in his 35-year-old body to piece together another masterful MVP performance in The Finals.

In a league full of dynamic duos, the L.A. Lakers’ 1-2 punch of King James and The Brow delivered a memorable knockout performance to cap off the most difficult postseason run amid the coronavirus pandemic.