Los Angeles Lakers: 4 keys to win the NBA Championship on Sunday

Key #1: Do the Los Angeles Lakers keep starting Dwight Howard?

The Miami Heat are confounding the Los Angeles Lakers defense with their array of screens and cuts. Dwight Howard is no exception. He is the proverbial fish out of water trying to guarding Miami’s motion offense – often looking like he is trying to find Nemo. His plus/minus was not good: a -3 in Game 5 (which was the Lakers’ margin of defeat) and -2.4 for the whole series (worst on the team).

It’s easy to say Howard’s minutes have dwindled because Miami has rendered him ineffective. The Lakers cannot play a traditional center as long as Miami is staying on fire from three-point range.

(See what I did there?)

Or is that true? Before Game 1, I identified Jae Crowder’s three-point shooting percentage as a bellwether for Howard’s playing time.

Crowder is shooting 35.7% from three-point range in this series. About average. I think Howard is getting unfairly judged for Miami’s outstanding shooting. Anthony Davis should have gone over on the screen. The Lakers cannot afford to concede the switch to Jimmy Butler. Dwight Howard is not supposed to be guarding Butler like that.

These early game lulls often spot Miami about five extra points. That was on AD for going way under Butler (more on that later). Howard did all he could. Butler just made a great shot.

He is also getting unfairly criticized for mucking up the Lakers’ offensive spacing. LeBron James and Anthony Davis do not require pristine 5 out spacing to attack the basket.

Howard does not necessarily look out of place defending Miami’s offense. Big men always have trouble navigating off-ball screens in the half-court. That’s for the guards to do.

Not that this excuses Dwight Howard’s performance. He was more known for his vicious foul on Jimmy Butler (Jeff Van Gundy jumped out of his seat!) than his actual performance: 2 points (2 of 2 from the free-throw line!) and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

In the lead-up to Game 1, I anointed him as the Fred Flintstone to Bam Adebayo’s Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Now he’s playing like Barney. Or Pebbles. If Howard can at least provide 20 high-quality minutes, the Lakers will be able to impose their will in the paint, thereby winning tonight’s game.