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via Imago

via Imago

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 102-96 in Game 4 to lead the series 3-1. They played a tight game and crushed the chances of Heat to level the series or build any pressure. LeBron James’ performance remained pivotal in the victory.

The Miami Heat looked strong on cards as they had the offensive rhythm from the last game and the defensive edge of Bam Adebayo. Turns out, they built a defensive wall but forgot to sharpen the sword for leading the offense. Jimmy Butler missed a triple-double by one fewer assist but failed to replicate his Game 3 heroics. 

USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James had a fortunate outing!

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King James continued to impress everyone as he again scored a 25-point double-double. But this figure hides the fact that he also had 6 turnovers and a +/- of -2. It can not be counted as his best outing in the series, but it was good enough to help them raise another toast of victory.

In the side-court interview, Bron appeared to have the ‘scope of improvement’ playing in the hindsight of his mind. 

He detailed the victory by accepting, “We understand what’s at stake. The job is not done. We got an opportunity to get our bodies back up underneath with us, an actual day of rest. But also keep our mind sharp. I’m looking forward to once again, looking at the film again tomorrow. Do all around the clock treatment and treat it like we played o Thursday. I must continue to work in, I must continue to not sleep until the job is done. So looking forward to the next match.”

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The Lakers are just one match away from getting that job done. However, Bron’s words clearly suggested that they are not going to sit on cushions unless they win it all.

The Lakers did not allow Miami Heat to take charge!

Bam Adebayo had a decent second quarter wherein he scored 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 7 points in 8 minutes of play. But all the remaining quarters remained mediocre for the star defender. Kelly Olynyk and Jae Crowder made no mark, and it raised questions on their consistency. However, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro played like great role-players as they combined 32 points and 6 three-pointers.

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Jimmy was again a failure from behind the arc and lacked the killer drive that he showed in the last game where he was more physical than anyone on the floor. Goran Dragic was a ‘playtime decision’ but did not show up in Game 4.

Now, if Miami needs to bounce back, they would separately need Goran’s services and the offense Miami was known for before this series.