The 2020 NBA Finals are underway and the first game of the series between the Heat and Lakers was everything but what the fans expected it to be.
Los Angeles cruised to a 116-98 victory over Miami in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Anthony Davis and LeBron James dominated play for the Lakers. 'AD' recorded 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, while James scored 25 points and delivered 13 rebounds and nine assists.
'ADs' Finals debut performance is surpassed only by some all-time greats. Since the NBA-ABA merger (1976-77), only Allen Iverson (48 points), Kevin Durant (36 points) and Michael Jordan (36 points) have scored more points than Davis in their first Finals game.
"It's a great honor to be in that category with those guys," said Davis. "I mean, they have done so much for the game, Hall of Famers, and for me to come out and perform that way and be mentioned with those guys ... obviously that's a great honor, but I also want to be mentioned in categories with champions, so that's the next step."
The bad news didn't end there for the Heat, as both Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo were forced to leave the game with injuries. The 'Dragon' suffered a plantar tear in his left foot leaving his status for the rest of the series in doubt, while Bam had a left shoulder strain but X-rays were negative, and plans to play in Game 2.
Frank Vogel's team struggled to make shots in the first quarter, and after trailing by 13 points, Los Angeles would go on a 75-30 run to secure the victory and take the lead in the series.
Miami and Los Angeles will go at it again in Game 2 this Friday, as Erik Spoelstra hopes to find an answer to Anthony Davis, who made 10 free throws, one fewer than the entire Heat team made.