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Danny Green is taking most of the heat for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Game 5 loss in the NBA Finals and rightfully so. He was really bad on the offensive end in the closing minutes of the game and missed the potentially game-winning shot. However, Markieff Morris definitely deserves some blame.
He grabbed the rebound off of Green’s miss and proceeded to throw it out of bounds when he had a wide-open LeBron James. Morris decided to tweet a cryptic message the morning after the loss.
It’s unclear what exactly he meant by that but he’s not ignorant of the fact that he’s taken a beating online. Based on his tweet, it sounds like he’s ready to play Game 6 right now. Despite the bad game, Morris has been one of the better role players for the Lakers throughout the playoffs.
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LeBron James Talks Morris & Green
Throughout the season and postseason, Green and Morris have been important players for the Lakers. That said, it became very clear in Game 5 that both of the men aren’t impervious to mistakes. It’s safe to say that LeBron is probably irritated behind closed doors but he wouldn’t throw his teammates under the bus.
“I mean, they’re vets. They’re vets,” LeBron said of Green and Morris after the loss. “I don’t think too much need to be said to them. I believe they will be much better and I’m not saying they even played bad tonight. Everybody in the lineup tonight that got minutes gave the effort. We just had some mental breakdowns at times, and they make you pay for it, like I said. We’ve got to look at the film tomorrow and see how we can be better.”
Now is not the time for the players to start playing the blame game. They still have a really good shot to win it all and the last thing they need is to start fighting with each other. Despite the shift in momentum, the Lakers should still be favored to win the series in six.
Frank Vogel Addresses Last Play
Morris and Green weren’t the only two Lakers who got lit up online. A number of people questioned LeBron’s decision to pass the ball instead of taking the final shot. Head coach Frank Vogel thinks the star made the right play.
“Yeah, he was ready to take on the whole team,” Vogel said. “He had two guys on him. A third defender came and so with three guys on you, he made the right play. Danny is one of our best shooters, he had a great look, and we live with the results.”
Logically speaking, it was the right play for LeBron to make. Green has been in this moment before and is still one of the Lakers’ better shooters despite the recent struggles. Obviously, LeBron making the game-winner to seal the Finals while wearing the Mamba jersey would’ve been one of the most iconic moments in NBA history but not everything has a storybook ending.
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