Lakers Win NBA Finals vs. Miami Heat; Gets First Championship in 10 years
The Los Angeles Lakers took it all after beating the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs. The new win rounds off the longest season with a dominant final flourish in NBA history.
The Lakers dominated the Miami Heat, 106-93, to lift the NBA championship in a season influenced by the death of team legend Kobe Bryant and a four-month break sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lakers have won 17 championships. The team matched with the Boston Celtics for most professional basketball wins by an NBA franchise. The team also earned their first title in a decade and after the age of Kobe Bryant.
Game 6 one of the 'historic' wins for Lakers
In various ways, Sunday was also a landmark evening for LeBron James, who became this year's 2020 NBA Finals MVP. He still owns the NBA mark for the most postseason appearances with 260, in his 17th season.
James outperformed retired NBA star Derek Fisher on Sunday. The basketball superstar made 259 postseason appearances throughout his league tenure as a player.
The latest win is the fourth NBA championship award for James, having won two championships during his tenure in Miami and Cleveland. As he keeps developing his name, this championship is his first with Los Angeles.
NBA veteran Rajon Rondo also created history Sunday, becoming both the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers' first NBA history player to earn a championship trophy.
For decades, the two teams have become competitors. During his sophomore season in 2008, Rondo won in Boston, along with NBA all-stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. However, as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat managed to dominate and surpass standards with a 111-108 victory, the Lakers didn't get it done on Friday night.
In Game 5, the two teams played it out in the fourth quarter and James had an explosive 40-point score. With seconds remaining on the clock, though, both James and Danny Green skipped vital goals.
According to ESPN, Butler appeared 98.3 percent of the minutes in four NBA Finals games, which is the highest amount since Bryant in 2004.
Latest win to honor Kobe, Gianna Bryant
The Lakers were supposed to close things out on Friday night and display their "Black Mamba" jerseys during their awaited championship victory in Game 5 to celebrate Kobe Bryant 's legacy. The Lakers were unbeaten while sporting black jerseys with gold trim previous to Friday night's setback.
"It's something more than just a uniform. It represents an individual who gave this franchise 20 years of his blood, sweat, and tears," James said.
On Sunday, sporting white "Association" uniforms, the Lakers continued to bear Bryant's legacy with a championship. And although Butler doesn't play for the Lakers, "Mamba Attitude" has been tremendous in his postseason success.
The extraordinary season took a turn after a gut-wrenching death of Bryant, his 13-year-old child, Gianna, and seven others in a horrific helicopter accident on January 26 this year.
Since then, by taking a championship trophy back to Los Angeles, the Lakers have battled to honor his name. Part of Bryant's history, over his 20-year NBA tenure, involves earning five championships.
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