NBA Finals Takeaway No. 3: Where are the free throws?
The free throw disparity in Game 1 was prominent. The Los Angeles Lakers visited the charity stripe 27 times, whereas the Heat attempted a seldom 14 free throws; that low number is tied for their lowest number of attempts in the 2020 playoffs.
Miami must be more aggressive heading into the next match because free throws have been a large part of their offensive attack this post season, as they have averaged 26.8 attempts per game during the playoffs, a number that is higher than the Lakers 25.9 free throw attempts per contest.
If the Heat can’t get to the line more frequently, the margin for error for this team is that much smaller. That’s a place where they could off-set some of the team’s size issues against the Lakers.
Game 2 is Friday at 9:00 PM ET on ABC, the Miami Heat will look to tie the series up at one game apiece, after their lackluster performance in Game 1.