Lakers knew they 'had to win NBA title for Kobe' - Morris
RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT
VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM LOS ANGELES LAKERS PLAYERS, MARKIEFF MORRIS, ALEX CARUSO AND DWIGHT HOWARD, STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF LOS ANGELES LAKERS CELEBRATING THE NBA TITLE, SOUNDBITES FROM MIAMI HEAT HEAD COACH, ERIK SPOELSTRA AND MIAMI HEAT FORWARD, JIMMY BUTLER
SHOWS:
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 11, 2020) (NBA ENTERTAINMENT - Broadcasters: MUST COURTESY NBA ENTERTAINMENT, NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVE. Digital: NO DIGITAL USE OUTSIDE USA AND CANADA. MUST COURTESY NBA ENTERTAINMENT. NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVE)
1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD, MARKIEFF MORRIS, SAYING:
"Yesterday… like I said yesterday, man; we took a tough loss, man. And our leaders, LeBron (James) and AD (Anthony Davis), man. They put us in a place we needed to be. With the focus they had coming into this game, the pre-game talks, the pre-game texts that LeBron sends out every game, watch the film, man. Everything is with attention to detail. We wanted to win it in the Mamba (Kobe Bryant's nickname) jerseys so bad, we just didn't do it but this was for Kobe (Bryant) regardless of what jersey we had on. We knew we had to do this for Kobe and Gigi (Gianna Bryant) and the rest of the Lakers nation, man. This was a special one. The only thing I want to tell you is, man; yesterday I had a bad turnover, man and I was getting graft from left and right on social media. But the one thing about me, you know what I mean, and the one thing that everybody should look at, man, when you knock down you ain't down, you've got to get back up. You've got to fight. There's always tomorrow. You've always got that second chance, man."
2. WHITE FLASH
3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD, ALEX CARUSO, SAYING:
"Yes, man, I'm just pretty excited. I don't know how else to describe it. We came out and played a really good game, came out and I think we played… this is probably the epitome of Laker basketball in that first half; playing defence, getting out on the break, sharing the ball, playing gritty, playing tough and then once, you know, it's just a time game. Once the time goes out and we realise it's there it just kind of starts hitting you and it's a great feeling."
4. WHITE FLASH
5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES LAKERS CENTER-FORWARD, DWIGHT HOWARD, SAYING:
"Ah, man. I don't even think I'm going to sleep but it's going to be amazing. Just to hear that word, champion. You feel it in your heart. You say it to yourself but to see it actually manifest in the physical is amazing. So, just to hear that word, 'champion' it means a lot and it's not just about just having a trophy but it's a mindset. I know a couple of years ago I said I'm a champion and people laughed. It wasn't being a champion of basketball game but a champion of life and knowing that there's many times that we all have failed and I've failed but instead of folding and laying down, a champ gets back up and I'm just happy to celebrate this moment with the Lakers and Laker nation and my Lakers team mates. It's been an amazing journey for all of us."
6. WHITE FLASH
7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD, ALEX CARUSO, SAYING:
"Most of the time when I see LeBron starting to run downhill, I just kind of give him the ball and get out of the way. He's been a force since he stepped in the league since he started playing basketball, even before he got to the NBA and he's just gotten better and better and it's great to have him as a team mate. He's a great person, a great individual and obviously knows how good a basketball player he is. So, it makes it really easy for me to just kind of give him the ball and let him do his thing."
8. WHITE FLASH
9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES LAKERS GUARD, ALEX CARUSO, SAYING:
"I don't think a lot of people thought we could do it. A lot of people picked some other teams in the West, picked a couple teams in the East, said we didn't have enough role players, said that LeBron was too old, AD is going to have trouble out west in prime time, something like that. To be able to fight through all that, through the LA noise, through the break, through the quarantine and come back and do that, I'm really proud of this group and how we fought."
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 11, 2020) (USA TODAY SPORTS - MUST COURTESY USA TODAY SPORTS) (MUTE)
10. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF LEBRON JAMES (CENTRE) CELEBRATING WITH LOS ANGELES LAKERS TEAM MATES
11. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF LA LAKERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THE TROPHY
12. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF LA LAKERS FORWARD, ANTHONY DAVIS HOLDING THE TROPHY
13. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF JAMES HOLDING THE TROPHY AND THE MVP TROPHY
14. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF LA LAKERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THE TROPHY
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 11, 2020) (NBA ENTERTAINMENT - Broadcasters: MUST COURTESY NBA ENTERTAINMENT, NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVE. Digital: NO DIGITAL USE OUTSIDE USA AND CANADA. MUST COURTESY NBA ENTERTAINMENT. NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVE)
15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIAMI HEAT HEAD COACH, ERIK SPOELSTRA, SAYING:
"First, congratulations to the Laker organisation. It was great to share this stage with them and congratulations on the championship. They earned it. They earned it in this series. I can't thank… we can't thank the NBA enough for this whole experience. This has just been extraordinary. This bubble, this campus, the safety protocols and just the organisation of everything. To be able to be apart of something historic like this, to continue our season; we feel so honoured and grateful that we're able to be apart of this and it took a big-time collaboration between the league, their vision, players association, the leadership of the players association and the organisations, organisations to make this happen… it's just really been incredible to be a part of this.
16. WHITE FLASH
17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIAMI HEAT HEAD COACH, ERIK SPOELSTRA, SAYING:
"We didn't get the final result that we wanted but even when I mentioned to the guys these are going to be lifetime memories that we have together. This locker room… regardless of whatever happens in the future we're going to remember this year, this season, this experience and that locker room brotherhood for the rest of our lives. You're in this business to be able to be around people like this and I can go on and on but the guys that competed and played in the series we had, we had several guys that were not even close to being 100%, probably shouldn't have been playing but that's how this group was. They wanted to do it for each other and I'm just really bummed being out of it, we couldn't find a way to get over the hump and finish the season with a win but that's taking nothing away from the Lakers. They played great and particularly tonight."
18. WHITE FLASH
19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIAMI HEAT FORWARD, JIMMY BUTLER, SAYING:
"It's hard because it was special to us. We really enjoyed playing with one another, really enjoyed being around one another and I just appreciate and thankful to have that opportunity to be able to do that. Obviously, nobody likes to lose but I think we fought all year long, ups and downs. We stayed together. I think that's what it's all about. I don't know what next year looks like, what it brings but I'm very grateful, thankful and blessed that I've played with these guys."
STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers dedicated their NBA Finals victory on Sunday (October 11) to the late Kobe Bryant, whose death in a helicopter crash in January united and motivated the team in a year full of challenges.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others died in the crash near Los Angeles, sending shockwaves through the NBA world and beyond.
Bryant won five championships in 20 seasons with the Lakers and is considered one of the sport's all-time greats.
This title was the Lakers' first in 10 years and a record-tying 17th NBA Championship with a 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat that sealed the best-of-seven title series 4-2, restoring the storied franchise to the top of the basketball world.
The Lakers' victory tied them with the Boston Celtics for most NBA championships and capped an unprecedented season that resumed in July at a spectator-free campus at Disney World in Florida after a four-month COVID-19 shutdown.
Finals MVP LeBron James led the way for the Lakers, scoring 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists while spearheading a defensive masterclass that doused the Heat's offense.
The Lakers, who won their first title since 2010, also got a key contribution from Rajon Rondo as the veteran point guard delivered an early offensive burst that helped them to a 28-point halftime lead and the Heat never threatened again.
The championship win ends a more than 90-day stay for the Lakers inside the NBA's bio-secure bubble.
(Production: Tim Hart)
