Why the Lakers are one win away from the NBA title
Just like that, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are about to be NBA champions once again
•
7 min read
Four playoff baseball games, an NBA Finals game, a WNBA Finals championship and the NHL Draft. We had ourselves a busy Tuesday, didn't we?
I suppose that kind of day could be overwhelming for some, but that's why I'm here for you. We'll be going over all of it (and more) this morning and you're gonna start your day feeling like you didn't miss a thing. And me? Well, I'm probably gonna take a nap at some point. I can't believe it's only Wednesday. Someone throw a bucket of coffee straight into my face.
But napping comes later. You know I'm always ready to bring the energy just for you every morning, and this kind of stacked plate only gets me more fired up. Now stop dragging your feet and pull up a seat so we can dive into all this goodness.
📰 What you need to know
1. Lakers move to within one win of NBA title 🏀
Just like that, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are about to be NBA champions once again. The Heat were hoping to build on their stunning Game 3 win and completely erase the two-game series hole they fell in out of the gate in these Finals but, alas, they weren't able to do it. Instead, they dropped Game 4 by a score of 102-96 and now find themselves down by two games again, this time with their backs up against the wall.
So, what went down last night? Let's turn to our James Herbert for a couple of takeaways:
- Game changers: The game sort of flipped on its head in the fourth quarter and LeBron had several impactful sequences. Free throws in the fourth quarter made a huge difference late in this game; The Heat only went 1 for 2 from the line in the final frame while the Lakers went 11 of 12 (including LeBron hitting all seven of his shots from the stripe)
- A defensive response: After two straight strong offensive performances from the Heat in Games 2 and 3, the Lakers managed to tighten up defensively in Game 4. Anthony Davis made life difficult for Jimmy Butler and Frank Vogel aptly swapped out Dwight Howard for Markieff Morris when it became apparent the Heat were attacking Howard early in the game
Major condolences to anyone who, like myself, bet the Lakers against the spread (-8) last night. Tyler Herro drained a tough, meaningless three-pointer in the final seconds of the game to cut the margin of victory to six points. An absolutely horrible beat for Lakers bettors and just one of those moments that makes you question why you even bother gambling in the first place.
Tyler Herro? More like Tyler Archnemesis, if you ask me.
2. Recapping more Division Series action ⚾
We had all four Division Series matchups on the diamond yesterday and it was a fun day of baseball. Let's jump right into how things played out across the board...here's what you need to know:
- Braves beat Marlins in fiery Game 1: Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest player ever (22 years, 293 days old) to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason, and he ticked off Miami in the process. They plunked him after he bat flipped, it led to a dust-up and it was all a reminder that these two teams don't like each other very much
- George Springer homers twice as Astros go up 2-0: The damn Houston Astros are one win away from advancing to the ALCS for a fourth straight year. Springer had a big day for the 'Stros, going deep twice and driving in three runs in the 5-2 win over the A's
- Rays jump all over Yankees early: The Yankees' pitching strategy backfired big time on Tuesday. Tampa took rookie opener Deivi Garcia deep in the first inning, tagged J.A. Happ for four more runs after he came into the game in the second inning, and then added insurance runs on Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Loaisiga. Tampa Bay had four total homers in the 7-5 win and now the series is tied
- Padres use nine pitchers in Game 1 loss: It was a pretty disastrous series opener for San Diego. Not only did they lose, they had to use nine arms to get through their 5-1 loss to the Dodgers, but Mike Clevinger's return was spoiled when he left the game with an undisclosed injury after just 24 pitches
It's also worth mentioning that Giancarlo Stanton is still having himself an absolutely monster postseason. Even as a Yankee-hater myself, I've gotta say: Watching Stanton has been a treat so far and he's putting himself in some elite company with the way he's playing. He homered twice again yesterday -- including a mammoth 458-foot laser beam -- and has joined Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson as the only Yankees to ever homer in four consecutive playoff games.
We've got all four series back in action today so get ready do it all over again.
3. Winners and losers of the NHL Draft 🏒
The Alexis Lafreniere-era in New York is officially underway. The first round of the NHL Draft happened last night and, as expected, the Rangers took Lafreniere with the top overall pick. Considering the 18-year-old kid is a dynamic, well-rounded offensive phenom, the Rangers came away as big winners on Tuesday night.
However, they're not the only winners from the first round, so let's consider a few others. And why don't we discuss some losers too while we're at it?
- Winner: Quinton Byfield -- There was some question as to who might go No. 2 to the Los Angeles Kings but ultimately that honor went to Byfield, who now becomes the highest drafted Black player in NHL history
- Loser: Columbus Blue Jackets -- The biggest stunner of the first round was undeniably provided when Columbus took Russian winger Yegor Chinakhov with the 21st selection -- a pick so far off the board that it resulted in chaos. Chinakhov wasn't even ranked in the top 50 of multiple high profile draft boards
- Loser: Washington Capitals -- The Caps took a big gamble when they traded up to take Hendrix Lapierre at No. 22nd. That move could pay off considering Lapierre was seen by some as a top 10 or top 15 talent, but he's got major injury concerns with his head/neck. Now Washington's next pick isn't until the fourth round, meaning they might be gambling their entire draft on the one guy with the biggest red flag
You can find my full list of winners and losers right here, but it's hard not to feel like the fans were losers last night. The fully virtual draft led to some really awkward and some really entertaining moments, but it failed to deliver on the hot stove front. Only four trades were made and they all were pick swaps. Boring!
The best moment of the entire thing was an unexpected cameo from Alex Trebek as he announced the Ottawa Senators' third pick with a Jeopardy! style question -- a rare (and massive) W for the Senators organization!
4. Storm sweep WNBA title in dominant fashion 🏀
The Seattle Storm are your 2020 WNBA champions. A three-game sweep over the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals was completed on Tuesday night, giving the Storm their fourth title in franchise history -- tied for most in the league.
- The Storm blew out the Aces, 92-59, in Game 3
- Star forward Breanna Stewart was named Finals MVP (the second time she's won it in the past three seasons). She finished the series averaging 28.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 62.8 percent from the field and 65 percent from 3-point land
- With the win, Sue Bird becomes the third player in NBA/WNBA history to win titles in three different decades. She's been a part of all four Storm titles in 2004, 2010, 2018 and now 2020
This news brings me great joy because I'm a massive Sue Bird guy. Not only is she an absolute legend, she's also one of the nicest people I've ever happened to meet while working in sports. She turns 40 next week so if this is the bow on her legendary career, it's one hell of a way to go out.
Luckily, Tyler Herro couldn't find a way to ruin this one for us.
📝 Odds & Ends
- Henrik Lundqvist is expected to sign with the Washington Capitals when NHL free agency opens on Friday
- The NBA is looking at late January for a potential start date and the league may permanently abandon its fall-to-summer season schedule moving forward
- North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, a projected first-round pick, has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft
📺 What to watch tonight
⚾ Rays vs. Yankees, 7:10 p.m. | NYY -121 | TV: TBS
⚾ Padres vs. Dodgers, 9:08 p.m. | TV: FS1
📝 Top scores from last night
LeBron James finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and Anthony Davis' 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation helped seal the Game 4 win of LA.
💵 Winning Wagers: LAL -353, Under (218.5)
The Dodgers scored four runs in the sixth to break a tie and never relinquished that lead. Padres starter Mike Clevinger couldn't make it through the second inning due to an arm injury.
💵 Winning Wagers: LAD -170, Under (9.5)
