The Western Conference’s top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and the East’s fifth-seeded Miami Heat both breezed into the NBA Finals, losing three times each in three rounds. This marks LeBron James’ 10th Finals appearance and first with the Lakers, who last played for the championship with Kobe Bryant in 2010. It is the Heat’s first Finals appearance since 2014, when James led them to the last of four consecutive title shots.
Los Angeles is loaded with talented playmakers who have a lot of experience in the NBA Finals. James will be making his 10th appearance in the NBA Finals, while Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Danny Green and JaVale McGee all have experience on the NBA's biggest stage.
James has been the catalyst for Los Angeles' offense this postseason, averaging 26.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis has also been extraordinary for the Lakers, having scored 27 or more points in five straight games. Davis has also been lethal from the free-throw line, knocking down 92.6 percent of his free throws versus the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
The Heat’s Adebayo was the best player on the court in the Eastern Conference clincher, putting up 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in a dominant performance. For the entire playoffs, the talented center is averaging 18.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per match, with Butler adding 20.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. The top-billed duo is joined by Goran Dragic, averaging 20.9 points per game, to form an elite offense, with the Heat scoring 113.4 points per 100 possessions in their playoff run.
Miami is No. 2 in both assist rate (65.9 percent) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86-to-1) among playoff teams, and the Heat are also tremendous at the free-throw line, ranking second in both free throw creation and efficiency. Defensively, the Heat will have their hands full with the Lakers, but Miami can cause havoc, averaging 7.5 steals per game in the playoffs, and Erik Spoelstra is perhaps the leading expert on defensive tactics. The Heat were successful using a zone defense versus Boston, and that could be an intriguing weapon against a top-heavy offensive team like the Lakers.
