Los Angeles Lakers survive the Miami Heat, 3 lessons

Anthony Davis is one of the leaders for the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron respects his “Gangsta”!

The worst thing that happened for the NBA for the last week and a half was that the Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Anthony Davis and LeBron re-calibrated their focus.

AD said after the loss to the Mavs, the team would make it a point not to lose two games in a row.

Now, this sounds cliche’ in NBA circles, but a game like this shows how serious AD is about winning the NBA title. Not only does he refuse to tolerate losing two games in a row, but he also doesn’t want two sub-par games personally in a row.

After playing below his usual standards against Orlando, AD exploded on the court and in the locker room against the Heat. Let’s discuss the on-court antics first.

AD kept the Lakers close in the first half while LeBron had his issues turning the ball over. In the second half, he combined with LeBron to close the game out. Anthony Davis scored 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.

Sure, the Lakers pick and roll can’t be stopped by anyone.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1205648867938537472

But it was from the 3-point line where Davis killed the Heat. He dropped 4-of-9 from 3-point shot land at very important times late in the game to keep Miami at bay.

Lakers fans need to realize that challenging LeBron to play better will be the catalyst for championship aspirations.

LeBron James will not listen to just anyone. He has to respect anyone that challenges him. Come to think of it, the last time a player could actually call him out on his play was Dwyane Wade in Miami. They went to four straight Finals and won back to back championships.

Get the picture?