1. Jimmy Butler has been ridiculous the last two games. No argument there.
However, lost amid the Butler headlines is the way LeBron James has been playing.
He shot 71 percent in Game 5, including six of nine from three-point range.
Gentle reminder: James turns 36 on December 30.
He even made the right play on the Lakers’ make-or-break possession, drawing in two defenders with a hard drive to the basket and then sending a perfect feed to Danny Green all alone at the top of the three-point line. Green missed, and the Lakers lost.
James was also great after that game, saying simply of Green’s miss: "I trusted him, we trusted him, and it just didn’t go. You live with that."
2. Rajon Rondo was solid in both the Western Conference semifinals and the West finals.
The NBA Finals haven’t been as kind to him.
He’s averaging a quiet 6.6 points and shooting only 28 percent. This is not what "playoff Rondo" is normally about.
As usual, he’s getting plenty of open looks, especially with Miami’s zone defense, but hasn’t been making them lately. He's missed his last eight long-range attempts.
Rondo is not quite connecting with teammates either. His assists have leveled off at five per game over the last week. Over the last couple playoff rounds, he was getting eight or nine per game.
If ever there’s a time for playoff Rondo, it’s today.
3. It's time to see more from the Lakers' bench.
Only one player scored off the bench for Miami last game, and he had as many points as the four Laker reserves that played.
Yes, Tyler Herro scored as many points as Markieff Morris, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, and Rondo.
Morris also had that incomplete entry pass to Anthony Davis in the final seconds of Game 5 after taking an offensive rebound. It’s one thing not to score, but it’s another to make careless mistakes in crunch time.
We haven’t seen much from Kuzma and Caruso this series either.
The reserves have been so reliable throughout the playoffs. The Lakers need just need one more game from them.
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.