The NBA just wrapped up its best regular season in 53 years, its teams scoring 282,127 points while a record 20 players hit at least 200 three-pointers.
And now two low-seeded playoff teams are going into the Conference Finals with a dominant defense.
Lakers, Heat surging in series through defensive superiority
The Lakers and the Heat are widely regarded as the top two defensive teams in a league that has rarely been more offensive,
with both veteran-led teams putting on excellent defensive performances and going 2-1 in the second round.
Miami hosts the Knicks and Los Angeles hosts the Warriors Monday night with a chance to take on both series largely because they were better defensively.
"We're going to play the way we wanted the Lakers to play," said LeBron James."No matter what, let's hang our hat on our defense."
Eighth-seeded Miami held New York to 86 points with a win in Game 3 on Saturday, while the seventh-seeded Lakers held Golden State under 100 points for the fifth time this season and won by 30 points.
The victories didn't decide either series, but they clearly showed where the two winners wanted to go and how they wanted to get there.
Postseason shooting by opponents, the Lakers, is the lowest in the NBA at 41.3 percent, with most of the credit going to Anthony Davis.
The big man blocked a whopping 37 shots in nine playoff games in Los Angeles, stepped in for countless others,
LeBron James entered Game 3 of the Warriors series to lead the Lakers to the playoffs at 22.3 points per game.
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