To the naked eye, Anthony Davis' game-winning 3-pointer for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday was nothing more than a truly amazing and unforgettable shot. A deeper look at the play, however, reveals several layers that led to that series-defining triple. For his part, Lakers superstar LeBron James pinpointed Rajon Rondo for playing a pivotal role in Davis' game-winner.
According to LeBron, he believes that Rondo made the absolute right call during the inbound, as the veteran point guard opted to pass the ball to Davis as opposed to James himself.
Via ESPN:
“[Rondo] made the right read,” James said on Spectrum SportsNet. “I definitely was thinking the ball was coming to me, but AD broke open behind me.”
LeBron is still the alpha dog of this team, and more often than not, the ball always goes to your team's best player in game-deciding plays. However, James was struggling a bit in the fourth quarter after a hot start to the game, and it was Davis making all the big shots down the stretch.
It was then Davis who came up in the clutch one more time for the Lakers, scoring his team's last 10 points after that last 3-pointer. Rondo completely understood the situation, and as soon as he had an opening, he passed the ball to AD without hesitation. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Rondo has been a key cog for the Lakers in their playoff run thus far. He is no longer the player he once was during his prime, but there's no denying that the 34-year-old possesses an unbridled understanding of the game. L.A. will continue to rely heavily on Rondo's playmaking, and his ability to maintain this high level of play will have a significant impact on the Lakers' championship hopes moving forward.
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