Twitter was astounded by Anthony Davis’ masterful performance in Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals.
Even if Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo had been healthy for Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat still would’ve had a problem: Anthony Davis has become a destroyer of worlds, and nothing can stop him now.
It was a problem the Heat encountered in Game 1 as well. While a healthy Adebayo would’ve been Miami’s best hope of containing this fully unleashed version of AD, even his All-Defensive Second Team skills would’ve been powerless in the face of this Los Angeles Lakers juggernaut that is now terrorizing Erik Spoelstra’s undersized squad.
Small-ball is the name of the game in the modern NBA, but with the Lakers deploying a frontcourt of LeBron James (6-foot-9), AD (shamelessly listed as “6-foot-10”) and Dwight Howard (6-foot-11), that’s a massive backline. Without their starting center, the Heat have been forced to try and stop this angry, motivated Unicorn with burly wing defenders who are too short (Jae Crowder, Jimmy Butler) or taller bigs who have no hope of sticking with him (Meyers Leonard, Kelly Olynyk).
To that end, it wasn’t surprising to see Davis extend his early lead for Finals MVP honors with another thoroughly dominant performance on Friday night. At one point in the second half, he was up to 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting, going nearly perfect from the field, knocking down his one 3-pointer and sinking his one free throw.
Through three quarters, he had 30 points and 9 rebounds on 14-of-16 shooting in just 30 minutes of action. By the end of Game 2, he had tallied 32 points and 14 rebounds on 15-of-20 shooting. This, of course, comes after he dropped 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks on 11-of-21 shooting in Game 1.
NBA Twitter couldn’t believe how dominant Anthony Davis was in Game 2
Twitter couldn’t help but marvel at was a monster the Brow had become in his first Finals:
This is godzilla
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis can and should be mentioned as just AD. Yes he’s an outstanding complement to Lebron, but he’s a hell of a player in his own regard as well. Putting on a show
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis is unfair. Too big. Too fluid. Too smart. Too skilled.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 3, 2020
breanna stewart
— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) October 3, 2020
anthony davis
basketball in 2020 is a game for unicorn bigs
Exactly what 2017 Kevin Durant felt like at times
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis right now. pic.twitter.com/UaiSt166KL
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 3, 2020
The Finals MVP talk wasn’t far behind either:
Just give Anthony Davis Finals MVP already
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 3, 2020
if the Lakers are about to sweep, Anthony Davis and LeBron James might start playing 1-on-1 for Finals MVP at the end of Game 4.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 3, 2020
Neither were the jokes, with most of them coming at the Heat’s expense:
Anthony Davis running through the Heat like Covid through the GOP
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis in Game 2... #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/qyG8R3wU35
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) October 3, 2020
Anthony Davis rn pic.twitter.com/KAYo75SuEM
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 3, 2020
The Heat trying to guard Anthony Davis https://t.co/AFQ1iCpoMD
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 3, 2020
Even Dwyane Wade seemed to be in awe of the Brow and how well he complements LeBron James:
I agree Big Perk https://t.co/59qWoMz7y9
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) October 3, 2020
If Dragic and Adebayo don’t return to action soon, the Finals are about to end in very quick and unceremonious fashion, most likely in a very boring sweep.
But give Davis credit for doing what he should be doing against a shorthanded and undersized team: flat-out dominating. If he keeps this up, he’ll be a shoo-in for Finals MVP honors.