Anthony Davis's three-pointer with 39.5 seconds left in Tuesday's 102-96 Game 4 win helped give the Los Angeles Lakers a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals and place the Miami Heat in a figure-four leg lock ala Ric Flair.
Davis' teammate, LeBron James, and general manager, Rob Pelinka, also channeled the Nature Boy after Davis' dagger, according to Sam Amick of the Athletic, who provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Lakers Game 4 win.
“'Wooooooooo!' [Pelinka] screamed in a high-pitched howl after jumping out of his chair to celebrate and then giving a hearty thumbs up to owner Jeanie Buss, her dancing confidante, Linda Rambis, and assistant general manager Joey Buss in their ‘Tier 2’ box above,” Amick writes. “James, who has made such a deliberate habit out of celebrating any and all of Davis’ achievements as they’ve grown together, answered Pelinka’s primal call in vintage Ric Flair form.
‘Woooooo!' James yelled back in Pelinka’s direction.”
Davis was relatively quiet offensively Tuesday night, saving most of his impact for the defensive end. He had 22 points (8-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT) — including the Lakers three biggest points of the game — nine rebounds, four assists, and four block shots in 42 minutes.
“Yeah, that’s why he’s the Defensive Player of the Year,” said James after the game, still in campaign mode. “We said that all year. His ability to (guard) one through five, guard anybody on the floor, take the challenge, not only guard on the perimeter, continue to protect the paint.”
James overcame turnover struggles to score 28 points (8-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 10-12 FT), plus 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Anthony Davis and the Lakers will get their first shot to earn the championship belt on Friday.
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