NOTES & QUOTES
Heat Starting Five: Antonio Snow, Josh Richardson, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hassan Whiteside
Summary: : Game 1 was a bit of a struggle for both sides. The Lakers came out cold as James missed his first three baskets, but once they got started it became tough for Miami to maintain their lead. A 12 point lead in the second quarter was cut to just six by halftime. It seemed like everybody on Miami’s roster was pulling their weight tonight to give a complete effort. Hassan Whiteside had 10 rebounds by the end of the first half and while Antonio Snow only had 6 points in the first half, he did have 7 assists. Snow was putting his teammates in position to score and they did not disappoint. He finished with a double-double in points and assists tonight. Miami found themselves up 15 points heading into the fourth quarter and that is win Snow was able to turn it on. Despite going 0 for 7 from beyond the arc for the game, he scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
LeBron on slow start: You never wanna get into a rhythm late in the playoffs. I missed my first three or four shots, so I tried to get some of the other guys involved and then I tried to find my rhythm again. Just gotta keep shooting.
Carmelo Anthony on the task of guarding LeBron James: Coach said I got one job. Being tasked with guarding a team’s best player is huge. And I’m ready to step up.
Antonio Snow on Game 1 win: Good team win. This is what we wanted. We’re not expecting a sweep. But we do want to set the tone and win on our floor. If we take care of business on our court every night, even if the series goes to 7, the odds are in our favor.
LeBron on Game 1 loss: A loss is a loss. Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, doesn’t matter. They’ve been very tough to beat at home. They’ve shown that all season and especially in these playoffs. But we just want to try and split the first two games and give us an advantage when we go back to L.A.
Antonio Snow on missing all 7 three point shot attempts: I’m not Steph Curry.
Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra on Antonio Snow’s assist numbers: He makes the right play. The smart play. Sometimes it looks like an impossible play. Some of those passes didn’t look like they were going to make it. I don’t know how he does it, but he does. We play better when everyone is involved and he makes sure that happens.
Top Performers
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James – 24 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Brandon Ingram – 18 PTS, 4 AST
Lonzo Ball – 13 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL
Miami Heat
Antonio Snow – 21 PTS, 13 AST, 3 STL
Hassan Whiteside – 15 PTS, 19 REB, 2 STL, 4 BLK
Tony Parker – 11 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST