Lakers beat Heat to win NBA championship

Anthony Davis had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo scored 19 for the
Lakers, who matched the Boston Celtics for most titles in league history with
their first championship since 2010. James, named Finals Most Valuable Player,
earned his fourth title with his third different team. Kentavious
Caldwell-Pope added 17 points for Los Angeles, which had missed the playoffs
each of the previous six seasons.

Bam Adebayo had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder
scored 12 each for the Heat, whose Cinderella run at the NBA bubble came to an
end. Goran Dragic returned from four games missed with a foot injury, but it
wasn't enough for Miami to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-1 in the
series.

The Lakers never trailed, first-year coach Frank Vogel shaking things up from
the tip by starting Alex Caruso over Dwight Howard and shifting Davis to
center. Caruso had only made two starts all season. The move paid off, as Los
Angeles effectively put the game away by outscoring Miami 36-16 in the second
quarter.

A 13-0 run in the period, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from
Caldwell-Pope, had the Lakers up by 30, 64-34, with 49.6 seconds left in the
half. The margin was 28 at the break, the second-largest halftime lead in NBA
Finals history.

Davis and Caldwell-Pope each had 15 points at the break, and Rondo was a spark
off the bench with 13 on 6-of-6 shooting. James had 11 points, nine rebounds
and six assists in the first half. Butler was held to eight points on 3-of-7
shooting, as the Heat shot 34.2 percent from the floor as a team over the
first 24 minutes.

Intermission did little to slow down Los Angeles, which led by as much as 36
before finishing the third quarter up 87-58. Ahead 103-86 with 1:27 remaining,
James and Davis went to the bench to begin celebrating with teammates.

--Field Level Media