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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Capping the longest season in NBA history with a dominant final flourish, the Los Angeles Lakers won it all for the first time in a decade.
Three hundred fifty-six days after the season began, the Lakers won the 2019-20 NBA championship.
In a 106-93 closeout Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday against the Miami Heat, LeBron James logged a triple-double -- 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists -- to win his fourth Finals MVP award and fourth ring. He has now won championships with three franchises.
Anthony Davis added 19 points and 15 boards Sunday.
After failing to beat the Heat in Friday's Game 5 -- James' first loss in a closeout opportunity in his Finals career -- Lakers coach Frank Vogel changed the starting lineup, moving Davis to the 5 and plugging Alex Caruso in Dwight Howard's place for a smaller, quicker group.
The move seemed to give L.A. a boost: The Lakers led 28-20 after the first quarter and by as many as 30 in the first half. They outscored Miami 36-16 in the second quarter.
L.A.'s 28-point halftime lead was the second largest in NBA history -- just below the 30-point lead the Celtics had on the Lakers in Game 1 of the 1985 Finals.
Jimmy Butler, Miami's fearless leader who pushed L.A. with a 40-point triple-double in a Game 3 win for the Heat and a 35-point triple-double in a Game 5 win, was finally contained, finishing with 12 points Sunday.
This is the Lakers' 17th NBA championship, which ties the franchise with the Celtics, who most recently won a title in 2008 by defeating a Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles team, for the most in league history. The Lakers most recently raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2010, when they beat Boston, with Bryant winning Finals MVP.
This championship was historic in many respects. The Lakers became the first team in league history to go undefeated when taking a lead into the fourth quarter, going 57-0 between the regular season and the playoffs. They were also the first franchise to earn the No. 1 seed following a five-year postseason absence.
Three hundred fifty-six days after the season began, the Lakers won the 2019-20 NBA championship.
In a 106-93 closeout Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday against the Miami Heat, LeBron James logged a triple-double -- 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists -- to win his fourth Finals MVP award and fourth ring. He has now won championships with three franchises.
Anthony Davis added 19 points and 15 boards Sunday.
After failing to beat the Heat in Friday's Game 5 -- James' first loss in a closeout opportunity in his Finals career -- Lakers coach Frank Vogel changed the starting lineup, moving Davis to the 5 and plugging Alex Caruso in Dwight Howard's place for a smaller, quicker group.
The move seemed to give L.A. a boost: The Lakers led 28-20 after the first quarter and by as many as 30 in the first half. They outscored Miami 36-16 in the second quarter.
L.A.'s 28-point halftime lead was the second largest in NBA history -- just below the 30-point lead the Celtics had on the Lakers in Game 1 of the 1985 Finals.
Jimmy Butler, Miami's fearless leader who pushed L.A. with a 40-point triple-double in a Game 3 win for the Heat and a 35-point triple-double in a Game 5 win, was finally contained, finishing with 12 points Sunday.
This is the Lakers' 17th NBA championship, which ties the franchise with the Celtics, who most recently won a title in 2008 by defeating a Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles team, for the most in league history. The Lakers most recently raised the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2010, when they beat Boston, with Bryant winning Finals MVP.
This championship was historic in many respects. The Lakers became the first team in league history to go undefeated when taking a lead into the fourth quarter, going 57-0 between the regular season and the playoffs. They were also the first franchise to earn the No. 1 seed following a five-year postseason absence.