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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 keys to win the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat

By Luca De Angelis

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena on December 13, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Derrick Jones Jr. #5 of the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena on December 13, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

1. Limit opposing three-pointers

If Miami is to emerge as the 2019-20 NBA Champions, chances are it’s because they’ve hit a high percentage of their three-pointers.

Make no mistake, after having shot a blistering 37.9% on three-pointers for the regular season (second in the NBA behind the Utah Jazz), it’s no secret that the Heat can catch fire (no pun intended) from the land of plenty at a moment’s notice.

One thing that Boston, Miami’s previous opponent, did at an elite level in both the regular season (ranked 3rd) and the playoffs (ranked 1st) was limit opposing three-point shooting percentage. Despite losing in 6 games, they stifled Miami in holding them to 32.3% from three for the series.

In terms of perimeter defenders, it’s not like the Lakers are completely bereft of options; LeBron James is 4th in playoff defensive win shares, Alex Caruso is very good on that side of the ball and Danny Green is no slouch. However, as a collective, the Lakers do not have the stable of long, athletic wings that Boston utilizes to so effectively stifle threes.

This could spell trouble for Los Angeles because this postseason, they’ve shown some vulnerability in defending the three-point line. During the regular season, the Lakers were very good at limiting opposing three-point percentage, with their 34.9% mark ranking 9th in the NBA. However, their efforts have slipped during the playoffs, with opponents hitting a much higher mark of their threes at 36.2% (ranked 9th).

The good news is that throughout the playoffs, the Lakers have been very good at deterring three-point attempts from occurring in the first place.

Opposing teams have attempted 32.9 threes per game against the Lakers (ranked 2nd in the postseason). This number is even more impressive when you consider that one of Los Angeles’ opponents was the notoriously trigger-happy Houston Rockets, a team that attempted a league-leading 45.3 three-pointers per game in the regular season.

The fact that the Lakers have shown the ability to run opposing teams off the three-point line bodes well for them; if they can continue this trend and successfully chase Miami off the three-point line, it’ll heavily mitigate hot shooting and go a long way towards winning the title.

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