The Los Angeles Lakers blew a golden opportunity to close out the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. On their most important possession on the season at that point, LeBron James found a wide-open Danny Green at the top of the circle. Green front-rimmed the potential title-clinching triple. A turnover from Markieff Morris seconds later, the Heat lived to fight another day.
NBA analyst Jay Williams did not hold back his criticism for LeBron James for passing up the shot on that play and not taking the championship-winning shot.
Yes Danny Green was open but I don’t care what no one says… Bron needed to shoot that shot. PERIOD.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) October 10, 2020
Aside from Jimmy Butler's virtuoso triple-double performance, LeBron James passing on the final possession became one of the major talking points after Miami's 111-108 win. The majority agreed that LeBron made the right decision to pass out to an open Danny Green, despite Green's shooting struggles throughout the series. However, some, including Williams, are arguing that James should have taken the shot.
James, for the majority of his career, has often made the right play instead of taking it upon himself to win the game. However, given his standing as one of the all-time greats, many expect him to those legacy-defining shots to win a championship.
Nonetheless, LeBron James had a magnificent Game 5 performance himself, as he and Butler traded haymakers down the stretch. LeBron finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists to counter Jimmy Buckets' 35-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist masterpiece.
Despite the disappointing loss, James and the Lakers are still up 3-2 in the series and will get another chance to close out the series on Sunday.
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