Los Angeles Lakers beat Miami Heat by 106-93 to clinch their 17th NBA title. Lakers was led by LeBron James who recorded a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Lakers had a clear lead by halftime with 64-36 with four players scoring in double-figures by halftime. The Lakers built the second-largest halftime lead in NBA Finals history.
This was James' fourth NBA title with a third different team. The superstar also earned NBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors for a fourth time, making NBA fans compare him to the Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Lakers had won their previous NBA title with the help of Kobe Bryant in 2010. Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna on January 26, 2020. Lakers had dedicated this season to Bryant, who played a crucial role led Lakers to win five titles in 20 years of his career. Currently netizens can't stop comparing LeBron James to Bryant due to his powerful play.
"On the final play, LeBron James did the same thing in the NBA Finals that Michael Jordan did to John Paxson & Steve Kerr & the same thing that Kobe Bryant did to Derek Fisher and Ron Artest. So stop with the nonsense that LeBron should have taken the shot," said Mark Medina on Twitter.
Wish Kobe and Gianna Were Here to See This: Vanessa Bryant
Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa too took to social media to congratulate Lakers. Vanessa posted an image of Kobe Bryant and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to an Instagram story after Lakers were declared the champions. "Congratulations Uncle P! Congratulations @Lakers Kobe was right ... 'stay the course- block out the noise,'" wrote Vanessa.
"Wish Kobe and Gianna were here to see this," she added. Kobe and Vanessa's 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who died with Kobe and seven others in the helicopter crash, was a talented basketball player. She was also tipped as a future star in the WNBA.
Just like Lakers many NBA fans dedicated this title to Kobe and Gianna. "This one is for you brother, for you Gianna, for Vanessa, for Natalia, for Bianka and for Capri. SnakeBlack heart," stated another twitter user.
Reporter Shams Charania too took to Twitter to congratulate Lakers and wrote: "NBA finishes historic season amid coronavirus; zero positives among players over 4 months."
Basketball player Kevin O Connor wrote: "I can't get over how wide open LeBron James was for a jumper to win the NBA Finals."
Lakers star Rajon Rondo has become the second player to win a title with the Lakers and Celtics, joining Clyde Lovellette. Apart from James, Rondo, who scored 19 points off the bench, is also winning praise from NBA fans. Anthony Davis added 19 points and 15 rebounds, whereas Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 and Danny Green scored 11 helping Lakers clinch the title.
