Department of Defense

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from their 17th NBA Finals triumph after digging deep against the Miami Heat for a 102-96 win in Game 4. 

However, the win wasn't a one-man show with LeBron doing all of the heavy lifting, as FOX Sports NBA analyst Chris Broussard points out. 

The King flirted with a triple-double, landing at 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, as Anthony Davis tallied 22 points, nine boards and four assists.

Some lesser-heralded Lakers helped the cause, too.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green and Markieff Morris combined to score 34 points, while Rajon Rondo brought defensive energy and chipped in with five assists and seven boards from the guard position. 

Coming into Game 4, a lot of buzz swirled around Jimmy Butler's 40-point triple-double in Game 3 and how the Lakers would keep the Heat star in check.

As it turned out, Davis, a two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, stepped up to the challenge. 

Butler still posted a solid 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but The Brow's badgering defense caught a lot of attention.

As ESPN's Kendrick Perkins put it, the 6'11" Davis locked up Butler after a hot start for the Heat guard.

"Last night, [Davis] put on a defensive clinic, I'm talking about that was a masterpiece. He was on Jimmy Butler's heels like a pair of socks."

And for Nick Wright, pairing Davis' defensive efforts with LeBron's relentlessness made for a winning recipe for Game 4, and likely the series. 

"When you've got the best player in the league ⁠— who will not allow his team to lose a fourth-quarter lead ⁠— and you've got a defensive player in Anthony Davis ⁠— who, even if he doesn't have a great offensive night, his fingerprints are all over the game ⁠— that's how you go up 3-1 in the Finals."

The Heat have been held to under 100 points just three times during their current playoff run.

Including Tuesday night's effort, the Lakers are responsible for two of them.

There's an old adage in sports, coined by legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant: "Defense wins championships."

In Los Angeles' case, it didn't quite win them the title yet ⁠— but it did put them just one win away.

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