‘LeBron James and Rajon Rondo can break zone defense with dimes’: Kevin Durant explains how Lakers beat Heat

Samir Mehdi | 21/10/2020
LeBron James and Rajon Rondo can break zone defense with dimes': Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant broke down how LeBron James and Rajon Rondo played the Miami Heat’s defense in the NBA Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers were ridiculed for acquiring veteran point guard Rajon Rondo in the 2018-19 season as many believed that Rondo was ‘washed up’.

Even going into these 2020 Playoffs, almost every single Lakers fan and NBA analyst reiterated that Frank Vogel should not give Rondo any minutes off the bench as they claimed, “having rondo on the floor would mean taking the ball away from LeBron which is not a good thing.”

Also read: ‘No team beats LeBron James and me four times’: Rajon Rondo explains why he decided to join the Lakers

Upon coming back from his thumb injury, he hitting the ground running and immediately started to silence his doubters.

Kevin Durant praises the LeBron-Rondo duo

One of the biggest doubts going into this season was whether or not LeBron James and Rajon Rondo could coexist on the hardwood together.

Also Read: Thought I was famous until I got to China with Kobe Bryant’: LeBron James on insane popularity of the Lakers legend

Not only could they coexist, but the LeBron-Rondo tandem thrived when on the floor together, dismissing any narrative built up around them not being to mesh well together.

Kevin Durant took to his show on ESPN called Detail to break down how LeBron James and Rajon Rondo dismantled the Miami Heat’s zone defense in the Finals.

Durant praises the duo for being patient when dealing with a zone, saying, “If you got Rondo and LeBron James in the game at the same time and you throw a zone out there, they just looking, waiting for you react so they can throw a dime.”

How did Rondo and LeBron James attack Miami’s zone defense?

Miami’s zone defense was quite successful in the first 3 rounds of the Playoffs but the Lakers had their number in the Finals.

Also read: ‘Rajon Rondo to leave the Lakers’: Clippers and Celtics on alert as Lakers’ point guard decides to enter free agency

The 3 simple things the Lakers did to beat the Miami zone was put the primary ball handler in and around the free throw line to force their zone to shrink, opening up 3 point opportunities, whipped the ball around quickly, and made sure someone was cutting backdoor.

Post Edited By: Utkarsh Bhatla
Kevin Durant LeBron James Rajon Rondo

About the author

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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