Lakers demolish Heat in Game 6 for 17th championship in franchise history

The Lakers obliterated the Heat in Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals to win the title.

The Miami Heat absorbed a punch from LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals, taking it in stride and countering with one of their own, courtesy of Jimmy Butler.

That resilience extended the series another game, but the Heat would not survive the next knockout blow from LA in Game 6.

Despite Goran Dragic finally being active again, the Lakers demolished a fatigued Miami team on Sunday night, winning the franchise’s 17th NBA championship in the process. Thanks to a blistering second-quarter attack that put the game out of reach before halftime, LA was able to coast to the Larry O’Brien Trophy as the underdog Heat struggled to mount any kind of resistance.

LeBron, who became the first player in league history to win Finals MVP on three different teams, closed out the series with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists on 13-of-20 shooting. Anthony Davis followed up with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo (19 points on 8-of-11 shooting) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17 points) were terrific in their supporting roles.

Butler finished with 12 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo led Miami with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 dimes, most of which he racked up in garbage time.

What else did you miss from Game 6 between the Lakers and Heat?

With Dragic less than 100 percent and Adebayo still looking shaky (until garbage time) while playing through a shoulder/neck injury, the Heat were actually happy to be only down by 8 points at the end of the first quarter. But the floodgates completely opened in the second, as Rondo and the Lakers’ supporting cast turned a competitive elimination game into a total rout.

The Lakers outscored the Heat 36-16 in the period, extending the lead to as many as 30 points before taking a 64-36 lead into the break. Their 28-point halftime lead was the second-largest halftime lead in Finals history, and very little was going right for Miami by that point.

Davis and Caldwell-Pope had 15 points apiece by the end of the first half, with LeBron’s 11-9-6 line quietly pacing Los Angeles. Rondo was a difference-maker off the bench, pushing the tempo against a tired Heat defense and putting up 13 first-half points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting.

Miami, meanwhile, was led by only 8 first-half points from Butler. The Heat missed seven of their 12 free throws and were only 5-for-15 from downtown at the break. Even worse, the Lakers nearly scored as many points in the paint (34) in the first half as the Heat did total (36).

The Heat never got within striking distance in the second half, and the Lakers cruised to their 17th title, tying the Boston Celtics for the most all-time.