It started with a showdown in Los Angeles on October 22 with the presumptive two best teams in all of the NBA in front of a raucous Staples Center crowd. It ended nearly a year later in the picturesque confines of Orlando's Disney World with virtual fans viewing the game via internet connection.
In a season unlike nothing we have ever seen, the Los Angeles Lakers stood tall on Sunday night after defeating the Miami Heat in Game 6 to cap their 12th championship in Los Angeles, and 17th overall for the Laker franchise.
With COVID-19 shutting down the NBA season on Wednesday March 11, there was plenty of uncertainty as to whether the season would continue. It did eventually, on July 30 inside a confined "bubble" at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, with players and staff and media being tested multiple times a day for the virus that has afflicted nearly 8 million people and claimed over 200,000.. Amazingly, the league had no positive tests throughout their time in Orlando.
On the court, it was a wild and strange ride, with favorites becoming disappointments (Bucks, Clippers), and the unsung (Jamal Murray) becoming household names. The Lakers would lose the first games of their first two playoff series', but recover to win 4-1 in both, against Portland and Houston, and dispose of Denver 4 games to 1. The Miami Heat, part of the "unsung", were Cinderella stories, sweeping Indiana in the opening round, disposing easily of the 56-win Bucks (best record in the league), and fending off the Celtics in 6 in the Eastern Conference final.
Setting up a showdown between Los Angeles and Miami, LeBron James going up against his former team, coach, and President, the two teams delivered a dramatic Finals that many didn't think would be competitive. The Heat's Jimmy Butler, who, on the game's brightest stage, proved to everyone that he was a certified prime-time player who may be on the verge of superstardom (he's not there yet) by willing the Heat to two wins in which he posted 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds on 14 of 20 shooting in Game 3 (an 11-point win), and 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals on 11 of 19 in Game 5 (a 3-point Heat win), gave the Lakers all they could handle and then some. In the end though, the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was just too much to handle for the Heat.
For the series, James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists, while Davis averaged 25 points and 10.7 rebounds. Rajon Rondo, who became just the second player to win a championship with the Celtics and Lakers franchises (Clyde Lovellette the other), was probably the Lakers' third best player in the series, as he averaged 8.7 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 26 minutes per game. In Game 2, Rondo had 16 points and 10 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, maligned in previous rounds, averaged 12.8 in the Finals.
For the Heat, Butler was outstanding, averaging 26.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds on 55% shooting. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson were both impressive shooting the three ball - Herro 37% averaging 14.7 points, and Robinson 39% averaging 12.5 points. Goran Dragic, who tore his plantar fascia in Game 1, was sorely missed throughout the series, as the onus fell on Butler to be their primary playmaker and do-it-all player. Bam Adebayo averaged just 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds after averaging 21.8 points, 11 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the Eastern Finals against the Celtics. Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers' strength and size were too much to handle for him, and the Heat, in the series.
While both of these teams were the last ones standing and provided an entertaining Finals, next year's playoff picture figures to look much different. Giannis Antetokounmpo will want to prove to everyone that he has what it takes to be a champion, the Nets will have one of the league's top duos healthy with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Celtics will want to avenge their poor conference final performance, and the Raptors figure to be in the picture, too. Not to be overlooked are the Heat, who will draw on this year's experience to make them better. They have a star in Butler, a Hall of Fame bound coach, and a team President in Pat Riley who always looks to improve the team.
The west will be more competitive next year, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson healthy and immediately vaulting the Warriors near the top of the west. The Rockets will look different with Mike D'Antoni out as coach but will be competitive as long as James Harden is there, and the Mavericks will be better, as will the Nuggets. The Clippers will try and dethrone the Lakers as the kings of LA.
For LeBron James, this Finals win is further vindication for a guy who a lot of people said was coming to LA basically to make movies and ride off into the sunset. While that likely played a part, he still proved he has a lot of game left and that he wants to etch his name alongside past Laker legends like Magic, West, Baylor, Wilt, Kareem, Kobe and Shaq. Averaging a near triple-double, he was the best player on the floor for four of the six games in the Finals, and all year long was the engine that made the Lakers go, despite Anthony Davis being in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation and having a remarkable season.
James gets his 4th championship in 10 tries, and his 4th Finals MVP award. Having spent over half his career going to the Finals, his body of work speaks to his incredible longevity and sustained production over a long period of time without a significant drop off. Each remaining year of his career will be tougher, as he is older than the contemporary stars he plays against. However, it seems like no pressure or load is too much for him to bear. Next season should prove to be one of the league's most competitive in years.
Kudos to Adam Silver and the NBA "bubble" being a success, with no positive COVID cases throughout their time in Orlando. Silver has said that the season will begin likely in January, with fans in attendance being a preferred scenario (under strict guidelines of course).
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