ORLANDO, Fla. _ His role is all-encompassing for the Lakers, and if being an enforcer is part of that, Markieff Morris is all for it.
So when Hall of Famer Charles Barkley asked Morris on NBA TV after the Lakers' Game 4 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night if the forward was being physical or purposefully intimidating on the court, Morris didn't hesitate with his answer.
"Both," Morris said. "It's basketball. Not too many people know me off the court. But on the court, we intimidate. That's just the way we are, you know what I mean? So, I just use it to my advantage. So I'm coming to be physical. I'm coming to foul the hell out of you and I'm coming to change the game with energy. I'm old-school. I'm just playing in this new basketball era. I'm old-school."
All that Morris did served the Lakers well in Game 4 at the AdventHealth Arena on the Disney World sports complex.
He started the second half in place of center Dwight Howard, giving the Lakers another defender to throw at Heat star Jimmy Butler and another player to create space because of his 3-point shooting.
Morris played 30 minutes and 2 seconds in the game, 18:02 in the second half, when he had six of his nine points.
Morris has continued to give the Lakers a lift off the bench during the NBA Finals, which resume with Game 5 on Friday night while holding a 3-1 series lead.
He's tied for fourth in scoring (10.5) and rebounding (4.3) and is second in 3-point accuracy (42.3%).
Morris and the Lakers are one win from claiming the franchise's 17th NBA title, which would tie them with the Boston Celtics for the most.
"We still can be better and we know that," Morris said. "And we know we still got another step to get there. We know it's going to be tough to win a championship, but we're all for it."
