In the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 1 victory over the Miami Heat, LeBron James and Anthony Davis forged themselves alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Davis and James had 34 and 25 points, respectively, in the their dominant 116-98 victory over the Heat. The last time a Lakers duo scored 25-plus points in a single NBA Finals game was in 2004 — courtesy of the Kobe-Shaq tandem.
In the LA's Game 2 victory over the Detroit Pistons, Bryant had 33 points while O'Neal chipped in 29.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James are the first @Lakers duo to each record 25+ points in the same Finals game since Kobe Bryant (33 points) and Shaquille O'Neal (29 points) in Game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/mLisFtTBsw
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) October 1, 2020
The LeBron James-Anthony Davis tandem have been mentioned alongside the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant one-two punch all season long. After all, both duos have turned the Lakers into powerhouse squads. Some have gone as far as to saying that the LeBron and AD are in the same level as Shaq and Kobe.
Of course, the main difference is that Kobe and Shaq guided the Lakers to a three-peat — something that hasn't been done by any NBA team since. The Golden State Warriors came close, but injuries and the surging Toronto Raptors squad spoiled the fun. It goes to show how difficult it is to complete the trifecta.
James and Davis, for their part, have yet to win a title together. Now leading 1-0 over the Heat, they need three more wins to claim that elusive Larry O'Brien trophy. This won't come easy as the Heat are a gritty and well-coached team
Game 1 might have been a dominant win, but the Lakers are certainly not expecting the Heat to go down without a fight.
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