Game one of the NBA Finals could not have gone much worse for the Miami Heat who lost 98-116 to the Los Angeles Lakers and are holding their breath after starters Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo left the game with apparent injuries. Not great. The Heat felt like live underdogs coming into this series (they were 3-1 underdogs), but it feels like things have shifted. They came out to a blazing start in the first quarter, going up 13 points in a matter of minutes, but that was where things shifted.
The Heat stopped making shots while the usually putrid shooters of the Lakers started making everything. Also, the two-headed monster of Anthony Davis and LeBron James got it going and combined 59 points to lead their team to this dominating win. Currently, the Heat are holding their breath on Adebayo and Dragic, who are both reportedly going to give it a go in game two, but if they are compromised this may be a very short series.
The Heat will need all hands on deck for the rest of this series, especially Dragic who has been a flamethrower in the playoffs so far. It was a disheartening moment when he exited the game looking visibly emotional.
“I, and we, are here for him,” Jimmy Butler said about Dragic. “We know how much he wants to win, how much he wants to go to war and battle with us. And obviously, we love him for that and we want him out there with us. But whatever the docs tell him to do, that’s what he’s got to do. … He’s got to take care of himself first.”
So where do the Heat go from here? First, get healthy. I think that all of their guys will play through injuries but if they are visibly compromised then there is nobody better than LeBron to take advantage. And second they need to figure out their rotation. We saw Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reach deep into his bench with the likes of Solomon Hill and Kelly Olynyk making early appearances, and I don’t think this can be maintained. By the end of their series with the Celtics, they were playing seven guys and relying on Adebayo to play 40+ minutes and be the best player on the floor. While the latter isn’t likely I think they need to go back to the former. LeBron has never blown a 2-0 lead in his career, and I don’t expect that to change if the Heat can’t just and steal game two on Friday night.
