Game 5 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers (3-2) 108 - 111 Miami Heat (2-3)

1st half

The Heat continued with their switching scheme and the Lakers go back to Howard after the 2nd half adjustment last game to replace his minutes with Morris.

The Heat ran a bunch of Butler pick and rolls with a small setting a screen on AD that's so low it's almost a back screen. This first lead to a Butler midranger and then Danny Green completely loses sight of Duncan Robinson for a corner 3. For their part, the Lakers were getting success with a Davis pindown for KCP. This is a particularly effective play since they make sure Bam isn't there to protect the rim. In the second play on the clip, Bam is on LeBron James because they run an early Davis screen to get a quick switch - which also allows him a much easier time getting the offensive board. Really smart construction here by LA. The way the Lakers ran from Miami misses has been outstanding and the biggest difference maker in the 1st.

In a weird rotation choice, they kept Dwight and AD together as LeBron sits and Miami goes small, switching Adebayo by Iguodala. Despite the lack of size, this is a tremendous job to prevent AD getting inside. Those were good minutes for Miami, with fantastic team defense as they continued to put someone on Rondo they can switch in AD pick and rolls and great effort denying him the ball on an entry pass - 9-0 Heat run. Then, in a scary moment after a couple of plays where he shut down Miami penetration, Davis goes down grabbing his ankle as the inaugural quarter winds down. He quickly seemed ready to come back in but for the rest of the night he wouldn’t be the overwhelming defensive force he’d been in game 4. The first quarter ends with Miami up 1.

The Heat forced a bunch of turnovers to start the 2nd quarter and dilating their lead. My adoration for Andre Iguodala is eternal. Note on the first clip how Nunn stayed in the passing lane to LeBron as Butler tries to recover. Kendrick had a really nice stint, including scoring a couple of times over Dwight Howard - he started 4-5 and had 11 points in the first half. Miami started 7-9 in the 2nd and though they were scoring well on midrangers, they were getting very good looks (specially whenever AD wasn't on the court). Many were generated by a surprisingly effective small-small pick and roll with Butler and Nunn. Butler was used a lot more as a screener in game 4 and that seemed to continue to be a theme here in game 5. 

There were a couple of plays where I felt LeBron guarding Bam actually allowed for a good look at the rim because James was coming up to meet the driver enough for the drop off. If it's AD in that position he can kinda cover both options due to his unreal size and speed combination but in this case either they have to meet the player at the rim or someone needs to slide in and sink.

Miami really seemed in a groove and this was the second time LeBron James had to save a possession with a 3 pointer. Continuing his dominant game 4 second half play, LeBron scored 11 points just in the first half of the 2nd quarter. He would finish the half shooting 9-11 from the field.

The final stretch sees the pace rise as AD moves up to the 5, LA played multiple transition possessions and this team grows from that feedback loop like no other. As LeBron continues to be unstoppable on the open floor, this is one of many plays that makes me think Bam's is far from 100%. His finishing is a lot softer compared to what we've seen pre-injury. 8-0 run and the lead was cut to a one possession affair. Rondo has 3 consecutive possessions where he just goes at Kendrick Nunn because the option to switch those pick and rolls with AD doesn't exist with that matchup.

Unlikely back-to-back 3 pointers from AD and then a Butler responde keep the game with a 4 point difference for Miami at the half. "Jimmy Buckets" scored or assisted on 38 of the 60 points Miami had in the first half.

2nd half

The game gets very sticky in the early second half and both teams were fully relying on their respective leading man. It was now KCP's turn to forget about Duncan Robinson in the corner but LeBron responds immediately - James is refusing to let this game out of his hands. At this point, I was only 50/50 on him punching a teammate before the game is over. Butler had a huge couple of offensive rebounds, for what was basically a 6-point possession. The ankle might not be healthy but this is still over Anthony Davis.

Both teams go to their small lineups, the match up that the Lakers thrived in at the end of the previous quarter, but the final few minutes of the third were such a cavalcade of non-sense that I don't have any proper commentary to offer. It culminantes with Kuzma outraged by the fact jumping chest first into a shooter is considered a foul. The Heat enter the final quarter ahead by 6.

In the early 4th, with AD resting, Miami tries to get Bam going a bit by running more offense through him, to decent results. Vogel understands the urgency and brings back Davis off the bench. Initially, the Lakers once again fall into multiple possessions resulting in turnovers, including back-to-back incidents by LeBron. However, after a timeout momentum switched again with LA's defense looking much sharper - Any play they can force an isolation on Davis is a win and they got it a number of times. LeBron does a good job recognising the mismatch and switching with Caruso before Butler can post up. The Lakers finally regained the lead after a big shot by KCP, on a catch and shoot 3, capping a 15-3 run in only 4 minutes.

With Herro back on the floor, Miami's response comes out of Butler's defensive efforts. If you want to see the effect Herro and Robinson can produce when near each other just watch Caruso screen KCP, who was caught sleeping. In these last couple of clips you can see the main strategy both teams were adopting: LeBron hunting a switch on Duncan Robinson (with Butler hedging and recovering to avoid it); Jimmy getting AD away from him in a switch to go at Marcus Morris. The game was tied at 101 with 2 minutes remaining.

Impossible not to admire LeBron James, 35 years old and with the tank on reserve, going 1 on 1 against Crowder and getting the and-1. Watching him and Butler, clearly exhausted, trading bucket for bucket in this old-school rock fight was making my heart race.

After an Anthony Davis offensive board to a tip-in and the shot clock is turned off, Butler draws the foul at the rim on AD - was I the only one whose heart stopped when I saw LeBron caught on the flat screen and Morris guessed the wrong side? - and the Lakers have 16.8 seconds to overcame a 1 point deficit and clinch a title. They advance the ball with their last timeout, the Heat double LeBron and play the odds allowing a wide open 3 from Danny Green. Icy-Hot misses the potential title-winning shot and Morris throws it out of bounds trying the lob pass to AD. You wonder to what extent Miami was always willing to give Green a shot since they had Duncan Robinson guarding him and James was clearly going to try to attack him on a screening action. Morris tried a tough lob instead of just handing another wide open 3 to Danny Green or hitting LeBron on the wing. But being a 1 point game (and probably expecting Bam to go and try to front Davis), I can also understand the desperation to get the ball near the rim. Still, you can tell Morris also felt the pressure of that decision.

Conclusion

This was absolutely incredible - the type of game NBA Finals are remembered by. LeBron had 40 points (6-9 from deep!), 13 boards and 7 assists that could have been many more. He was UNREAL and they still couldn't clinch it. Butler played 47-fucking-minutes and was 35-12-11 with 5 steals and 5 offensive rebounds. Both teams had one S-tier performance and one injured big, who’s the teams’ second best player, looking like lesser versions of themselves. But then the difference becomes stark when you look at the rest of each squad: The Heat played only 7 guys, entirely eliminating Hill, Olynik and DJJ from the rotation. Nunn, Iguodala and Robinson all had their moments to shine; LA's bench shot 1-11 from 3 and Dwight had an abysmal game - they basically got only scraps from any role player that wasn’t KCP.

The Heat shot over 40% from deep and the Lakers numbers were close on that department but exclusively because LeBron managed 6 for 9. Only 3/10 from the corner 3 for LA and Miami hit 7/13 on long midrangers - if one of those stats falls towards normal levels it is enough to see the game swing on another direction. But being real, all it would've taken was one wide open above the break 3 going in at the end. Speaking of those Miami midrangers, Butler being able to pull up from there and hitting 5-7 from that range (including a couple over Anthony Davis) is the perfect way to punish a demesne that's constantly going over on you.

The Lakers were as incredibly dominant in transition as they are expected to be. They had an offensive rating of 175 running from live rebounds and won the fast break points "fight" 25 to 4. Getting that type of stylistic advantage go your way and LeBron James playing such an incredible game, losing this feels like Butler and the Heat grinded out a miracle.

This hasn't changed the most likely outlook - I will still bet on LeBron with him only needing 1 win out of 2 games - but it did a couple of things for the Heat: Jimmy Butler's place on the pantheon of this league has shifted after these 2 wins on the biggest stage and Miami, despite Bam looking a shell of himself and Dragic not available, have proven themselves every bit the great team and every bit the finalist we believed they were after running through the East. I’ve certainly changed my tune and am now taking this series game by game.

Other Notes

• AD looked a lot less like himself because of his injury. Bam might be cleared but it's no accident he's blowing layups like is cosplaying me in pick up games. Let's hope both of them can physically recover for game 6.
  
  
• Dwight got very agitated early on. Arguing with the ref, double-T with Jimmy and a bone-headed inbound pass straight to Miami with a 3-2 scenario - and that's all in the 1st quarter. In the early 3rd, he gets caught guarding no one and Crowder got an open corner 3, to the desperation of LeBron James. He would also commit the most obvious flagrant foul possible on Butler after an offensive board. Should I just call this section the "Bill-Simmons-is-right-on-Dwight highlight reel"?
  
  
• When people want Butler to be more aggressive, this is what they're complaining about. Either that pass comes sooner so KCP can't close out or you just attack the rim as hard as you can. No hesitation. I will give credit to KCP though - fantastic job first getting himself in between Butler and Herro and then sprinting for the close out without biting in the pump fake.
  
  
• Miami ran a few times a horns set with Herro and Robinson coming in as screeners but I didn’t think they actually generated any good offense from those. I prefer when they tried to overload the weak side with both Herro and Robinson both running off ball because it will inevitably create some sort of breakdown.
  
  
• “Bam, spread out... No, Bam... BAM! NOT YOU. If you set the screen they'll switch Bron on me”
  
  
• LeBron is awesome at making the guys coming out from the handoffs uncomfortable. He constantly makes Herro second-guess himself... And Tyler Herro never saw a shot he didn't like.
  
  
• Duncan Robinson got a coupe of strips on smart doubles. His help defense was pretty solid throughout.
  
  
• If "Playoff Rondo" is a thing, can I propose "Finals Pope”? He’s also the only guy this game Duncan Robinson really had to work to create separation from.
  
  
• I'll finish with my reminder I'd rather listen to a feed that's just the amplified squeals of sneakers on the court than Mark Jackson's "insights".

[Reddit]