The Lakers are eyeing the Western Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs. Led for most of the game, Los Angeles managed to beat the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, after a stifling match (104-101), Monday, May 8, in the fourth game of the series. Despite Stephen Curry’s triple-double (31 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists), the San Francisco franchise could not resist the return of the Angeline team, carried by their replacement, Lonnie Walker IV, author of 15 points, all scored in the last quarter.
LeBron James’ partners now lead three wins to one in this California duel. Golden State no longer has the right to make mistakes: a defeat and Steve Kerr’s men will give up their title, won last year. Forced to win three in a row to hope to overcome the Lakers hurdle – which has happened only thirteen times in the history of the final stages of the North American basketball league, for a team trailing 1-3 –, the Warriors will receive the Lakers on Wednesday on their floor.
The Miami Heat are closing in on the conference finals
In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat was solid in Game 4 against the New York Knicks and won (109-101) in Florida. Carried by their interior, Bam Adebayo (27 points, 13 rebounds), and their back, Jimmy Butler (27 points, 10 assists), the Floridians dominated the game to get closer, too, to the conference finals. Opposite, the Knicks have never been able to reverse the trend, despite the 32 points of their leader Jalen Brunson, and find themselves on the verge of elimination.
After eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, yet number one in the Eastern Conference, Erik Spoelstra’s players confirm their high-flying playoffs against the Knicks. Like the Lakers, the Heat will have three opportunities to advance to the next round – the first, Wednesday in New York – and could become the second No. 8 seed in history to reach the Conference Finals. The only team to achieve this before them in history? Their potential victim, the New York Knicks, in 1999.
