Lakers’ ‘Others’ Lend LeBron James a Hand

“The greatest show on turf,” James said. “People always said how you could scout ’em, scout ’em, scout ’em — until you got on the field.”

There was no way opposing defenses could simulate the Rams’ speed, said James, who suggested that the Rockets are much the same. His hope was that the Lakers would make the necessary adjustments after getting punished in transition in Game 1.

They made enough. Vogel went smaller in Game 2, effectively benching his centers. JaVale McGee played just eight minutes before he left because of an ankle injury. (Vogel said after the game that McGee was undergoing an M.R.I.) And while Vogel said he had intended to play Dwight Howard, his backup center, Morris was too good and Vogel decided to stick with him. Howard remained on the bench for the duration.

At the same time, the Lakers played swarming defense on James Harden, who had to work for his 27 points, and Russell Westbrook, who shot 4-of-15 from the field for 10 points while committing seven turnovers. Even by Westbrook-ian standards, he was chaotic.

“It’s on me,” Westbrook said. “I don’t point fingers at anybody else. I own my mistakes. I own what I do, and that’s that.”

The Lakers did not exactly assemble a complete game. After leading by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, they found themselves trailing by 5 points in the third quarter after the Rockets caught fire from the outside.

But James opened the fourth quarter with a driving dunk, part of another postseason tour de force for him: 28 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Davis was terrific, too, finishing with 34 points and 10 rebounds.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/sports/basketball/lakers-vs-rockets-score-game-2.html