The NBA has obviously been far different this year than in the past. The NBA Finals, which typically are concluded by June, are taking place in October this year.
Due to the season being delayed, many teams who didn’t have much of a shot at a championship had a real opportunity. Younger teams had more time to develop their young stars, and the NBA bubble has transformed into the NBA’s version of March Madness.
The Miami Heat have had a very long path to this year’s finals. They are the second-lowest seed to make it to the finals since the eighth-seeded Knicks made it to the finals during the NBA lockout season. At the beginning of the season the Miami Heat had just 1-in-60 odds to reach the finals, but this year’s situation has led to the Heat’s first Finals berth since Lebron James was in a Heat uniform.
The Lakers’ emergence to the finals is rather unsurprising, and with Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and several young stars, the Lakers are the clear favorites for this year’s championship.
The Heat stormed their way through the Eastern Conference Playoffs with only three losses through the first three rounds. They swept the Pacers in the first round, taking care of the No.1 seeded Bucks in just five games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they beat the Boston Celtics in six games with some great individual performance. In Game 4, Tyler Herro scored 37 points off the bench to give the Heat a 3-1 lead.
The Lakers have also been very successful`in these playoffs. They have only lost one game each in their past three series’. They coasted their way through the Trailblazers, Rockets and underdog Denver Nuggets. L.A’s star-studded Lakers are gearing up for the Finals and are extremely ready for the games to come.
Both sides are motivated. The Lakers are dedicating this year’s finals to Kobe Bryant, who passed away earlier this year. The Heat came out of absolutely nowhere and have shown NBA fans a true underdog story. While many think this series will be short-lived, it is definitely going to be intense and far different from other years.
