Erik Spoelstra expected no less than a fight from his short-handed Miami Heat.
"Our guys," he said, "have great grit."
What that don't have is as much talent as the Los Angeles Lakers.
Or a victory in these best-of-seven NBA Finals that now move on to Sunday's Game 3.
With Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic sidelined, the Heat lacked sufficient staying power Friday night against Anthony Davis and LeBron James, falling to 0-2 in the championship series with a 124-114 loss at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
With Davis closing with 32 points on 15-of-20 shooting and 14 rebounds, and with James going for 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, there proved to be no stopping a Lakers team that could close out this series as soon as Tuesday's Game 4.
Despite offering a cohesive offensive performance and trimming their deficit to single digits after going down 18 in the third quarter, there ultimately wasn't enough from the Heat.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25 points and 13 assists, supported by 24 points from Kelly Olynyk, 17 from Tyler Herro, 13 from Kendrick Nunn and 12 from Jae Crowder.
Adebayo sat out with a neck strain sustained in Wednesday's 116-98 loss, with Dragic out with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot sustained in that game. Spoelstra said both are working toward a return.
