NBA Finals 2020: Lakers vs. Heat Game 6 Box Score, Top Performers, Reaction

Just as it seemed the Miami Heat could be getting back into the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers reminded everybody why they were the best team in the league throughout this unorthodox 2019-20 season. And in doing so, they also ended the season on Sunday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The Lakers won the 17th NBA title in franchise history (tied with the Boston Celtics for the most all-time) with a 106-93 win over the Heat in Game 6. Although Miami had cut its series deficit to 3-2 with a Game 5 win, Los Angeles came out in Game 6 and dominated from the start, going on to lead by as many as 36 points and never once trailing.

In his second season with the Lakers, LeBron James won his fourth career NBA title, while Anthony Davis won his first championship in his first season with the team. In the first playoffs held inside a "bubble" because of the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles went 16-5 and never lost consecutive games.

Here's a look at the top performers from Game 6, followed by some of the reaction following the Lakers' championship win.

Game 6 Top Performers

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James: 28 points (13-of-20 shooting), 14 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal

Anthony Davis: 19 points (7-of-17 shooting), 15 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, one steal

Rajon Rondo: 19 points (8-of-11 shooting), four rebounds, four assists, one steal

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 17 points (6-of-13 shooting), two rebounds, one steal

Miami Heat

Bam Adebayo: 25 points (10-of-15 shooting), 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks

Jimmy Butler: 12 points (5-of-10 shooting), eight assists, seven rebounds, one block

Complete box score is available at ESPN.com

Game 6 Recap, Reaction

No athlete wants to lose a game. It's even tougher to handle when playing on a stage like the NBA Finals.

That's why Lakers coach Frank Vogel looked to turn his team's pair of losses in the NBA Finals into something positive for the near future. And after Los Angeles' performance on Sunday night, it's safe to assume that mindset worked.

"Losing a game in the NBA Finals is one of the worst experiences of my life," Vogel told reporters after Game 6 (h/t ASAP Sports). "I think our group collectively felt that way, and the challenge was to channel that into effort and focus and energy and enthusiasm, positive energy, into the next game."

The Lakers lost Games 3 and 5, marking their toughest stretch of the playoffs after they had won each of their first three series in five games. But in Game 6, Los Angeles never gave Miami a chance to think about potentially tying the NBA Finals and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7.

Los Angeles ended the first quarter on an 11-4 run, entering the second with a 28-20 lead. It never trailed in the opening period, and it seemed to be poised for a strong night. That certainly became the case in the second quarter, when the Lakers outscored the Heat 36-16 to build a 28-point halftime lead.

Still, the Lakers weren't going to let up. Not when they were trying to win their first NBA title since 2010.

"We knew Miami wasn't going to quit. We have seen it before," Caldwell-Pope told reporters after the game. "Just watching their other series, they came back from down 19 or 20 in the fourth."

Los Angeles extended its lead to 29 by the end of the third quarter, and although Miami outscored it 35-19 in the fourth, it wasn't nearly enough to erase the Lakers' large lead. Los Angeles shot 48.3 percent from the field in the victory, while scoring 52 of its 106 points in the paint.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that it was James who led the way in the series-clinching victory. The 35-year-old veteran posted a triple-double, scoring a game-high 28 points and collecting 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Butler had triple-doubles the previous two games for Miami, but it was James' turn this time to have one while sealing the championship victory.

James won his first two NBA titles while playing for Miami in 2012 and 2013. He returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, and led them to their first championship in team history in 2016. Now, he also owns a title while playing for one of the most illustrious franchises in all of sports.

"It's like playing for the Yankees and winning or playing for the Cowboys and winning a Super Bowl, or the Patriots. It's like playing for the Red Sox," James told reporters after the game. "So to be able to win with a historical franchise is something that, no matter if your mind wavers away, you can always remember what you're doing it for."

It was an unusual NBA season because of the four-month hiatus caused by the pandemic and the fact that teams played in a bubble starting in July. For the Lakers and Heat, that ended up meaning they spent three months away from home.

But one thing that never seemed unorthodox was Los Angeles' play. It won 52 regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and dominated the playoffs. So it's fitting that it ended this season as the NBA champions.