Isaiah Shim
Sports Editor
What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat sat at home for the postseason, now they’re both competing for the championship. This turnaround is the first time in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) that two teams that missed the postseason have made the Finals the next year.
That being said, it has been quite a while since both of these teams represented their respective conferences in the Finals. The Lakers’ last trip to the Finals was all the way back in 2010, when Kobe Bryant led them to his fifth title. The last time the Heat was in the Finals was in 2014, with their “Big 3” consisting of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James.
The top-seeded Lakers from the Western Conference and the fifth-seeded Heat from the Eastern Conference both come into these Finals with a 12-3 playoff record and no shortage of superstar players.
The Lakers are led by Lebron James, a three-time champion who has been to nine of the past 10 NBA Finals. So, as far as experience goes, James definitely has the edge.
Along with James, the Lakers have another All-Star in Anthony Davis. The four-time All-Defensive center looks to continue his dominance in the paint on both ends of the floor.
With a supporting cast of players including Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso, the Lakers relatively cruised through these playoffs. First beating the Portland Trail Blazers, then the Houston Rockets, and finally the comeback specialists Denver Nuggets all in five games.
The Miami Heat started the post season red hot, pun intended. The Heat started the postseason with a 8-1 record, sweeping the Indiana Pacers, and dominating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks; who were led by the league’s Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat then took a 3-1 lead over the Boston Celtics, and then put them away in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Looking at this matchup, the Heat will have their hands full with James and Davis, which brings up two of the biggest questions going into these Finals: who is going to guard LeBron James and how can the Heat stop Anthony Davis?
The first question might be answered by Andre Iguadola, who won a Finals MVP for guarding James back in 2015 when Iguadola was a member of the Golden State Warriors and James was beginning his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The second question will most likely be handled by Heat big man Bam Adebayo, who had a game-saving block on Jayson Tatum in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and has continued to be a force to be reckoned with inside the paint.
Defense will be a major component for the Heat in this series-if they can limit James and Davis’ numbers and make the Lakers rely on their bench and role players, it will definitely make things easier.
For the Lakers, they will need to shut down the Heat’s numerous scorers. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragić, and rookie Tyler Herro all averaged between 19 and 21 points in the Eastern Conference Finals. Herro, the 20 year old rookie from the University of Kentucky, has shown this season that he plays well beyond his years. Herro and Division 3 product Duncan Robinson, can rain down from the three-point line, so limiting their shots from downtown will be crucial for the Lakers.
This is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive series, and it all hinges on who can stop who on defense. So at the end of the day, the old adage “defense wins championships” very well could be the deciding factor on who takes home the trophy.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be on ABC September 30 at 6 pm PST.
