Miami Heat 111-108 LA Lakers: Twitter explodes as Jimmy Butler produces another masterclass with LeBron James and crew falling short to close out in Game 5 | NBA Finals
After being up 3-1 in the NBA Finals, the LA Lakers were ready to celebrate their 17th championship in style on Friday night. However, in the most dramatic fashion, the Miami Heat pulled off an upset and stole Game 4 in the last minute of the 4th quarter.
Jimmy Butler and LeBron James put on an absolute masterclass and led their teams from the front since the tip-off. While Butler ended up with a 35 point triple-double, James had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. There were 7 lead changes in the last 3 minutes but it was Jimmy Butler and the crew who held their nerves at the end and forced a Game 6 in the NBA Finals.
Let's take a look at how Twitter reacted to this historic Miami Heat win in Game 5.
LA Lakers' LeBron James puts on a show in the first half of Game 5
LeBron James, playing in his 10th NBA Finals, showed the world why he's still the best player in the league with a virtuoso performance in Game 5. While Anthony Davis struggled during the first quarter because of a leg injury, LeBron single-handedly kept the LA Lakers alive by hitting timely 3 pointers throughout the game.
Danny Green, the LA Lakers' 3-point specialist, looked terrible during the entire game and ended up with just 8 points. However, the frustrating moment of the game was when Green missed an open 3-pointer during the final possession that would have given the lead to the LA Lakers.
After Danny Green's miss, the LA Lakers secured the rebound but Marcus Morris made a mess of it and ended up throwing the ball out of bounds, costing them the game against the Miami Heat.
The LA Lakers' unbeaten run in the Black Mamba jerseys finally came to an end, and they'll be looking forward to shaking this loss off and come back strong against the Miami Heat in Game 6.
Miami Heat come up clutch and steal Game 5 in the last minute
Many NBA experts had written off Miami Heat after they went 3-1 down in the series against the LA Lakers. However, the Heat showed their resilience and held the lead for the majority of the game on Friday night.
While Bam Adebayo had an off-night, it was Jimmy Butler's all-round performance and Duncan Robinson's clutch shooting that made all the difference in the end.
With this epic Game 5 win, the Miami Heat has sent out a strong statement that the series is far from over. They'll be looking to level the series in Game 6 as they take on the LA Lakers again on Sunday night.
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