After the weirdest NBA season ever, we finally have the Finals between the Lakers and the Heat, a very promising duel between two great franchises that already know what it feels like to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. These Finals have a clear main character: LeBron.
The King has made it to his first final in the West Conference and will take on the team with whom he won two rings in 2012 and 2013. No doubt this will be a special meet for him where feelings will be moving, specially on paying tribute to Kobe Bryant.
Lakers have qualified to the Finals with 12 wins and 3 defeats in the Playoffs. They did not start the right way after losing their first game against Portland, but they proved from then the franchise from LA are the wildest team form the West. The LeBron – Davis duo has been decisive in the journey, but there have also been other players like Caruso that have improved his level. They have a very compacted team and all the ingredients to succeed.
After beating the Blazers, Houston were supposed to be a tough rival to overcome, but their tiredness and poor performance made things pretty easy for LeBron´s squad. The Nuggets bounced into the Conference Final, where an LA derby was expected to take place, but this time the franchise from Denver were unable to come back another 3-1.
On the other side, Miami have been the biggest surprise in these Playoffs. After finishing 5th in the regular season, Erik Spoelstra´s squad have managed to make it all the way through after sweeping Indiana, beating the Antetokounmpo´s Bucks against all odds, and wining the Conference Final against the Boston celtics.
There are multiple keys to take into account at the Heats, starting from a brilliant Jimmy Butler that has finally reached his highest level; Adebayo as well, as he was crucial on some actions like his block to Jayson Tatum that avoided extra time in game 1 versus the Celtics. But there is a name that has arisen in the right moment: Tyler Herro. The youth rookie is making outstanding numbers more proper to veterans in the game, as well as he is showing a very matured playing level. We also have to mention Iguodala, who will play his sixth NBA Final in a row.
Good basketball is assured in these Finals, but the feelings will also play a huge part in the outcome, apart from the level on the court. This will be LeBron´s 1oth final (more than 27 franchises) and will face off the team that brought him to his peak in the league. LeBron has ahead of him the challenge to win the ring and pay tribute to the memory of Kobe Bryant, who has always been in our minds throughout the entire season.