With the shot clock running down and Game 4 still hanging in the balance, Anthony Davis jab stepped and sized up Bam Adebayo at the three-point line. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar rose up and launched from beyond the arc over the outstretched arms of the Miami Heat All-Star with a little over 40 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter.
Splash. Nothing but nylon. Dagger. The shot put the Purple and Gold up 9 with 39.5 seconds to go.
Davis let out a big roar. And so did LeBron James. The two Lakers superstars celebrated as they realized they were just one win away from achieving the goal they had set out when they joined forces back in June of last year.
James and Davis are both having an incredible Finals so far. It's no surprise that Los Angeles is holding a commanding 3-1 lead because of their dynamic duo. History has written out that whichever finalist goes up 3-1 ends up lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy (we all know the only time that didn't happen).
The Lakers are inevitable at this point. With that, the only question remains: which of LeBron James or Anthony Davis will win Finals MVP? James has a chance to make history by becoming the only player ever to win Finals MVP with three different franchises. But it's likely he doesn't end up on the history books for this one because Anthony Davis has as good a shot as LeBron does to win the 2020 Bill Russell trophy.
I know it's not over until it's over, but if we were to prematurely choose the Finals MVP after four games, I'd probably go with The Brow.
Don't get me wrong. It's extremely close between the two Lakers superstars. But I'd give the edge to AD because of his massive impact in their crucial Game 4 win over the Heat.
Davis arguably had the slight lead over James through Games 1 and 2, with the former averaging 33 points in those two games to the latter's 29 points. The 6-foot-10 big man had a massive dud in Game 3, where he finished with just 15 points and five boards. And that may have lost him his chance of winning Finals MVP. But LeBron had a bad game as well in the loss, where he played sloppy with the basketball and committed eight turnovers, including four in the fourth.
Now, after four games and three Lakers wins, LeBron has the edge over Davis in terms of stats. The Akron native is leading Los Angeles in points (27.8) , rebounds (11.0), and assists (8.5). Meanwhile, Davis' numbers read 25.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists to go along with nearly two swats through four games.
The counting stats favor James so far in this series. But Davis deserves the highest credit for arguably swinging this series back into Los Angeles' way with his defense on Heat star Jimmy Butler in Game 4.
Los Angeles couldn't find a way to stop Butler from getting to the paint in Game 3, where he finished with a historic 40-point triple-double. With that, the Lakers looked to their versatile defensive anchor to get the job done.
Davis embraced the challenge and did an incredible job on slowing down Butler, especially in the second half. AD may have finished with just 22 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday, but his imprint on the all-important win went way beyond the stat sheet. Davis was a juggernaut on the defensive end all night long, altering shots at the rim, and most importantly, neutralizing the Heat's All-Star leader.
And as an added bonus, Davis also had the Finals MVP moment of the game, with the dagger three he made to put Miami away.
Nonetheless, choosing between James and Davis is a toss-up at this point. With LeBron leading the way and facilitating the offense, and Davis anchoring them on the defensive end, two-generation stars have been equally as important for the Lakers in these Finals.
Of course, we'll need to see how The King and The Brow perform in the rest of the series. But our pre-mature pick through four games goes to Anthony Davis.
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