Three Takeaways From A Dominant Lakers Performance In Game 1 Of The Finals

Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals started with Miami looking like the more aggressive and assertive team, as they darted out to a 25-12 lead at the 4:21 mark of the first quarter. However, once the Lakers woke up it was a thorough ass-kicking for the next 40 minutes of the game as they were dominant in every facet of the game on their way to a 116-98 win and a 1-0 series lead.

There are plenty of things both teams will look at from this game, with Miami obviously having the most to work on to get back into this series. Here, we’ll explore three takeaways from Game 1 and how they will shape this series going forward.

1. The Heat need a new plan for Anthony Davis

Davis got off to a tremendous start to his first NBA Finals game, with 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, and he was as thoroughly dominant as those numbers would indicate. Davis controlled the game on both ends of the floor, deterring Miami drivers when on defense and overpowering just about everyone the Heat threw at him defensively and continuing his strong shooting from deep in this postseason.

Miami did not match Bam Adebayo up with Davis much in Game 1, as Adebayo spent most of his time on Dwight Howard early when he started, and that would seem to be the necessary adjustment — or to try out more zone defense. However, with Adebayo leaving Game 1 with an apparent shoulder injury, the task of slowing down Davis would get far more complicated. If Adebayo can’t go in Game 2, they’ll have to get very creative with their rotations, likely meaning bigger minutes for Solomon Hill — who played a good bit in the opener and held up reasonably well — and others like Kelly Olynyk, who might at least be able to draw Davis out of the paint when Miami’s on offense.

Davis is going to produce, that’s always going to happen, but he can’t dominate the way he did on both ends if Miami’s to have a chance. Part of that comes down to Adebayo having a dismal game even before his injury, but the Heat have to go back to the drawing board with how they plan to deal with Davis on both ends.

2. Tyler Herro is the Lakers top target

Tyler Herro was very rudely welcomed to the NBA Finals stage by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The young swingman had a breakout performance in Game 4 of the conference finals and has been a key contributor all postseason, but the rookie had a horrific Game 1. Herro finished with 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting (2-of-8 from deep) and Miami was a stunning -35 while on he was on the court. While there’s always some noise to single game plus/minus, it felt as bad as that number indicated.

Herro looked to be moving very quickly on offense, bordering on out of control at times, but it was his defensive performance that has to concern Miami the most. LeBron James is the best in the league at hunting mismatches, and he and the Lakers went at Herro just about every opportunity they could. Herro got cooked by nearly every Lakers perimeter player at least once and the Heat were all too willing to let James get the switch onto Herro, allowing James to attack and, at worst, force a hard rotation to open up a L.A. shooter once he cleared Herro going to the basket.

The Heat love their rookie and won’t go away from him totally, but they might have to be a bit more judicious with his minutes when the Lakers hunt him the way they did defensively. On offense, he has to be better to stay on the floor and part of that is being smarter with his shot selection, but the main concern is what L.A. did picking on him defensively. They need a new strategy on that end of the floor, namely in being less willing to give LeBron whatever he wants with their switching, because if not, he’s going to attack Herro — and Duncan Robinson — mercilessly. James finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists and I’d wager a guess that at least half of those points and assists were the direct result of Miami’s willingness to let him pick his matchups.

3. How serious are the Miami injuries?

I want to be very clear about something here, which is injuries were not why the Lakers won Game 1. However, for Miami to have a chance in this series they will need their stars on the floor, and Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo all picked up injuries in this one. Butler’s seems the least severe, as he continued playing and was on the floor for 33 minutes of the game despite rolling his left ankle late in the second quarter.

Dragic and Adebayo are much bigger concerns, as neither returned after they departed from the game. Dragic suffered a left foot injury and there is reportedly concern his series is done. Given the offensive boost he’s given them in this postseason, averaging 20.9 points per game, his absence would be crippling to the Heat’s effectiveness on that end, and surely force a lot more Kendrick Nunn minutes. Adebayo left with a shoulder injury, and while X-rays returned negative, he did not return for the second half as well. The Heat all postseason have been heavily reliant on the Adebayo minutes to win games, as their net rating went from +8.5 to -3.9 when he left the floor. With the size of the Lakers, his presence is vital to their chances, and any absence of his would lead to serious issues for Miami.

The Heat have plenty of on-court adjustments to make, but they’ll likely be rendered moot if they’re without one or two of their best players for an extended period.