The Los Angeles Lakers just brought fans back to the 2019-20 season with a muscular performance against the Indiana Pacers, crowned the first NBA In-Season Tournament champion in history.
Talking about championship trophies in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are tied with each team winning the championship 17 times in history.
But after Sunday, December 10 Vietnam time, the Lakers had another special trophy, temporarily becoming the only team in history to win both the NBA championship and the NBA In-Season Tournament championship.
Los Angeles Lakers lifted the first NBA In-Season Tournament trophy in history
Anthony Davis led the Los Angeles team with a masterful performance, scoring 41 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 123-109 victory in the finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Right behind AD are Austin Reaves (28 points, 9-15 FG) and LeBron James (24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists). LeBron James was voted MVP of the NBA In-Season Tournament for the first time.
On the other side of the front line, Tyrese Haliburton (20 points, 8-14 FG, 11 assists) and Benedict Mathurin (20 points, 9-9 FT) were the two most prominent players of the Indiana Pacers in the finals.
LeBron James was chosen as MVP of the In-Season Tournament, thickening the massive achievements list
Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers were undefeated in the NBA In-Season Tournament before meeting in the finals. Although they both have a 6-0 record, each team has a different playing style to get to the championship match.
The Los Angeles Lakers played defensively with the appearance of Anthony Davis right under the basket. In attack, LeBron James is the team leader who prioritizes scoring points in the 3-second zone, sometimes completely giving up long throws to take advantage of the team’s good form.
As for the Indiana Pacers, this is a team that specializes in attacking with the highest efficiency and speed in NBA history, led by young star Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers defeated the four strongest teams in the East last season (Cavaliers, 76ers, Celtics and Bucks) to reach the finals.
Anthony Davis faces Myles Turner
And when they met in today’s cup match, the two teams showed off their strengths. It’s just that the Los Angeles Lakers’ defense did so well and completely broke down the Pacers’ best attack in the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton was closely followed all match by many different Lakers players, deprived of the ability to hold and create that he often showed in previous matches.
On the offensive front, the Los Angeles football team brought fans back to the 2019-20 bubble season with an extremely muscular fighting style. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and his teammates continuously scored points near the basket, scoring 86 points in the 3-second area alone.
Anthony Davis was excellent in the final
Davis personally played explosively with 41 points (16-24 FG, 9-13 FT) and 20 rebounds. Bigman was born in 1993 and almost “got whatever he wanted” and no one could stop AD throughout the 41 minutes he was on the field.
“My teammates and coaching staff put me in the best position for me to explode. There is no reason for me to disappoint them,” Anthony Davis shared after lifting the trophy with his teammates.
“This is a pretty special feeling, being able to lift a championship trophy in December. Of course, everything has not stopped because what we want is to lift the trophy in June. This joy will be temporarily put aside because In 2 days, we will continue to play.”