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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wins the NBA Cup after they beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the IST championship game on December 9.
CNN –
LeBron James won both the NBA Cup and the MVP award for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament (IST) as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the promoted Indiana Pacers 123-109 in Las Vegas.
Led by a monster performance from Anthony Davis – who had 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks on the night – and a solid defensive performance, the Lakers managed to win an entertaining final in which, despite being defeated after a lead of 13 were always in the lead, took the win -11 Four minutes into the game they couldn't shake off the stubborn Pacers.
While the Lakers' offense did its part, shooting 53.4% from the field, it was the defense that ultimately won the game, holding Indiana's efficient and impressive offense to 36.8% shooting from the floor during the IST.
But even though Los Angeles led by as many as 11 points late in the third period, the Pacers – led by new NBA star Tyrese Haliburton, who had 20 points and 11 assists – continued to fight back, cutting the lead to just one on several occasions three in the fourth quarter.
But led by a strong defensive performance in the final six minutes of the game and Davis scoring 14 points in the final period, the Lakers slowly pulled away and won their first ever NBA Cup.
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Davis had a monster performance that night, scoring 41 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.
James and Austin Reaves, who scored 24 and 28 points respectively on the night, rounded out the potent LA offense that gave the Purple and Gold even more NBA history on Saturday night.
After the game, LeBron, who was awarded the IST MVP for his strong tournament-wide performances, was asked about Davis' performance in the finals and stated that the two know each other's ability to improve on any given night.
“I know who I am, he knows who he is, so there is no friction. We don't try to compete with each other on the court or in lifestyle. He knows who he is, I know who I am,” James said after the finale, according to ESPN.
“The only thing we try to do is hold each other accountable when we come to work and try to do the best we can for each other, and when one isn't doing well, we try to “To cheer each other up,” the four-time NBA champion added. “There is no jealousy. There is no jealous bone in our body. We are never jealous of each other. Always.”
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James won the NBA In-Season Tournament MVP award for his outstanding performances throughout the IST.
Davis agreed, adding that LeBron has pushed the Lakers big man to succeed on multiple occasions, such as in Saturday night's explosion.
“He'll say things like, 'Let's get AD going.' Or, ‘Run this for AD.’ He’s doing a good job making sure I get the opportunity to take over ballgames like tonight,” Davis said, according to ESPN.
“He just knows me. … I just had that look tonight and he said, 'I'm going to follow your example.' And he was able to do that, and the team was able to allow me to be the guy and just take advantage of that. “
While there were all smiles in the Lakers' locker room, Haliburton was left to rue what might have been – in addition to the trophy, every member of the winning team expected a $500,000 payday – and noted that the atmosphere in Las Vegas was “like a…” was a “playoff-like deal” and that had a slight impact on the outcome.
“Yes, we are sick and frustrated. We were simply outplayed from the start of the game to the end of the game tonight. Just didn't work on loose balls, didn't rebound and didn't get enough stops when needed. They just outplayed us, and that's frustrating,” the star said, according to ESPN.
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Despite falling at the final hurdle, Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as a new NBA star after his standout performances throughout IST.
“It doesn’t have the feel of a regular season at all. I'm used to playing LeBron, no matter what he plays, 30, 35 minutes. It felt like he and AD never fell off the ground. It was like a playoff deal.”
“I’ll try,” James said of his thought process before the championship game, seemingly proving Haliburton right. “Yeah, why not? Why not? A game? Me and a game, I'll try. Sure.”
When it comes down to it, it seems you should never bet against LeBron James and making history.