Let's be totally honest about what happened Sunday night.
LeBron James won a game for the Lakers by standing still.
No question it was Lakers big man Anthony Davis who hit the difficult game-winning 3-pointer, with a hand in his face courtesy of Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Davis earned the right to be mobbed by teammates, to do the postgame interview with TNT's Allie LaForce, to be celebrated in highlight showcases and newspaper and internet headlines.
AD WINS IT AT THE BUZZER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/pcAe63xESj
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 21, 2020
MORE: Davis shouts out Kobe and saves the Lakers
What did LeBron do to contribute on the final play of Los Angeles' 105-103 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals? He was LeBron. That was all that was required to dupe Nuggets big man Mason Plumlee into abandoning the assignment of guarding Davis and committing the biggest defensive blunder of the 2020 playoffs.
As WNBA star and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike said in an audio recording posted to her Twitter account, "A lot of people are hyped about AD's shot, but a lot of people also, if you're following the Nuggets, are mad at that last defensive possession."
breaking down the Nuggets final defensive possession error. pic.twitter.com/G8hQ7YJsuZ
— Chiney Ogwumike (@Chiney321) September 21, 2020
There were 2.1 seconds remaining in Game 2, with LA trailing by a point in a game it once led by as much as 16 points.
Following an exquisite defensive play by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray — Murray blocked Danny Green's shot out of bounds along the baseline — the Lakers had one last attempt available to conjure a game-winner. They had no timeouts available, and though Denver could have spent one to align its defense, that would have meant allowing coach Frank Vogel plenty of time to draw up a baseline inbounds play.
Instead, Denver coach Mike Malone merely made a personnel change, sending in the 6-11 Plumlee for 6-7 Paul Millsap.
And Plumlee made a decision that baffled many who watched. (Side note: This is not the first time a Plumlee error led to a Lakers buzzer-beater.)
Good morning everyone. Here's the Mason Plumlee point-switch at-the-buzzer special from the first Nuggets-Lakers game in the bubble. pic.twitter.com/tzO96zEWnN
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) September 21, 2020
The complicating factor was James, chasing the 10th NBA Finals appearance of his career, who was set up at the left corner of the foul line as Davis streaked across the top of the key. As Davis sprinted, Plumlee decided he had less of a chance to be a factor against him than forward Jerami Grant, who was guarding James. Plumlee pointed and called for a switch. Grant was consumed with keeping James away from a quick roll to the bucket for an easy lob from Rajon Rondo and didn't budge.
"A lot of teams, on inbounds plays, switch out based off who is guarding the ball out of bounds," Ogwumike said. "Therefore, if you do that, you can hop to the person that's coming toward the ball and sort of force the ball out of their hands, which buys time. ...
"You're supposed to follow all the way to the point of the switch. So basically, Plumlee and also Jokic should have met together to hand him off. But instead, Plumlee jumps behind and stops and lets AD sort of keep running. So Jokic has a long closeout, and that's where they messed up. That's not supposed to happen."
What made Plumlee's decision all the more egregious was this: Had Grant acknowledged the switch and jumped off James to deal with Davis, Plumlee was in no position to prevent James from immediately dashing to the goal and accepting a pass from Rondo. Plumlee arrived on James' right hip, which would have created a clear path for James to the rim had Grant moved out on Davis.
"We just had a little bit miscommunication," Jokic told reporters afterward. "I think I had a really good contest, to be honest. I think I was right there."
Jokic was, and he had to cover roughly 20 feet in two seconds to be there.
He should have had help.
