Watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Monday morning (12:15am), full replay at 8am also on Arena
Sunday 4 October 2020 23:27, UK
Anthony Davis has 'looked incredible' in the opening games of the NBA Finals and is leading the Los Angeles Lakers' charge to the title, says BBL legend Mike Tuck.
There is that classic maxim that everything has to go right for you to win a championship. For the Miami Heat, everything has gone wrong for them. Key guys - Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic - are injured. And Adebayo is their most important player in this series. Without Adebayo, the size, strength, athleticism and star power of the Lakers has overpowered Miami.
Before the Finals started, I thought we would see a five- or six-game series. I believed the Heat could steal one or two games. But with way things have gone and the injuries the Heat have, we are looking at a possible Lakers sweep.
While it has been great to see LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing so well on this stage, I think there will be a 'what if' factor around this series. What if Miami were at full strength, playing to their full potential?
But injuries happen in every postseason. We saw Golden State's big players going down in last year's Finals. Two years ago Chris Paul got injured at a crucial point the Rockets-Warriors Western Conference Finals series. Yes, you have to be talented and you have to have skill to get to a Finals series, but there is also luck involved - guys staying healthy is such huge part of that.
Jimmy Butler tweaked his ankle in Game 1 and is likely not at 100 per cent. But, if they are to have any chance of getting back in this Finals series, Miami need a big performance from him in Game 3. And Bam Adebayo has to play. I know Bam is probably hurting right now but he has got to get back in there. The Heat need their big man in the middle.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis look like they have been playing together longer than they actually have. All eyes are trained on James, but Davis has looked incredible in the Finals so far, like the star of the team.
LeBron is happy to pass Davis the ball, set him up and give him free rein on the ball. It has been great to watch Davis develop. They looked great out there together as a one-two punch and Davis, in his first Finals, looks extremely so comfortable and like he has been there before.
Adebayo is Miami's most athletic guy and the only one on the team who can match up with the Lakers' big frontline in terms of physicality and athleticism. With him not there, it's giving Davis all these second chance opportunities (he had eight offensive rebounds in Game 2 alone). He is cleaning up on the boards against guys who are much shorter than him.
The Lakers knew they had stumbled in opening games of series earlier in the bubble. They wanted to send a message in Game 1. They definitely threw the first punch.
In Game 1, the energy of the Lakers, especially that of LeBron, was clear to me. James was the heavy-hitter in that game, he was doing so much for them. It almost looked like he was summoning the 'Mamba Mentality' - the look in his eyes in that opening game was reminiscent of Kobe Bryant at his most focused.
Defensively, the Lakers are such a tough match-up for the Heat. It there was a game for Miami to steal, it would have been that first game. The way the Lakers played - and the Miami injuries - dictated otherwise.
I love the way Rajon Rondo has filled in the gaps for the Lakers. In Game 2, the Lakers' bench really stepped up. You had guys like Alex Caruso and Markieff Morris coming in, giving energy and knocking down shots from the perimeter.
The Lakers haven't been consistent with their perimeter shooting but they are doing it when it counts right now.
That is keeping Miami's defenders honest and it is spreading out the floor and opening up those lanes down the middle for Davis and James.
The key in Game 2 was how the Lakers started the first two quarters. They came out and dominated and were able to coast through the second half.
Watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Monday morning (12:15am), full replay at 8am also on Arena
