The Lakers were just seconds away from an NBA title, confetti machines at the ready courtside.
Then Jimmy Butler and the Heat ripped that celebration away from them.
The pain was written on the Lakers’ faces as they trudged off the court in Disney World. Will they come back for Sunday’s Game 6 hungry, or hung over?
“It’s a tough loss. There’s no doubt about it. We were very close,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “But our group’s fine. We’re going to bounce back strong. We’ll have a better performance in Game 6.”
“We’ve got to be better. We’ve just got to be better in Game 6 and close the series,” said LeBron James, who has been brilliant, only to find Butler his equal.
Friday marked the 10th time James had scored 40 points in a playoff game and still lost, second only to Michael Jordan’s 12. And James and Butler have put on a duel that Jordan would be proud of. (NYPost)