Who’s Playing in the NBA Championship?

The 2020 NBA Championship is finally here! After a long and grueling regular season, the best teams in the league have finally made it to the Finals. Who will come out on top?

The Teams

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing in the NBA Championship. This is the fourth consecutive year that the two teams have played each other in the finals.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference in the Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, having won 16 NBA championships, their last being in 2010. As of 2019, the Lakers hold the record for having made the most appearances in the NBA Finals with 31, and are second behind only their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics, who have appeared in 46.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and have won three NBA championships.

The Players

The 2020 NBA championship is right around the corner and the whole world is waiting in anticipation. This year, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat are facing off in the ultimate showdown. Both teams have worked hard all season long and they have the respective records to prove it. So, who are the players that will be taking the court for each team?

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to 15 NBA All-Star teams, 17 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is a professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2020. Davis has also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the USA Basketball team.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one year of college basketball for Tyler Junior College, he transferred to Marquette University. He was drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Butler enjoyed a breakout season in 2014–15, his fourth in the league. He was named an NBA All-Star for the first time and earned All-NBA Honorable Mention honors. He subsequently signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Bulls. In 2016–17, he was named to his second consecutive NBA All-Star Game. That season, he helped lead the Bulls to their first playoff appearance since 2015 and was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

The following year, Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he continued to earn All-Star selections. In 2019, he led the league in scoring and was named an All-NBA First Team member as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Midway through 2019–20, he was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo was born on July 18, 1997, in Newark, New Jersey. He is a 6’9″, 250-pound center who played his college basketball at the University of Kentucky. Adebayo was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In his rookie season, Bam Adebayo averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In his second season, Bam Adebayo became a starter for the Miami Heat. He averaged 13.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game and was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career.

The Coaches

As the two best teams in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, face off in the NBA Championship, let’s take a look at the coaches. Steve Kerr of the Warriors is in his fifth season as head coach of the team. Kerr has an impressive coaching record, leading the Warriors to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances. He is also a three-time NBA Champion, winning titles with the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. On the other side, we have Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers. Lue is in his third season as head coach of the Cavaliers. He has led the team to two NBA Finals appearances, winning the title in 2016.

Frank Vogel

Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Vogel has also served as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic. He is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, having led the Pacers to the NBA Playoffs five times and the Magic to three playoff appearances.

Vogel began his coaching career in 2001 as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics under head coach Jim O’Brien. He was promoted to interim head coach in January 2007, and led the Pacers to a record of 35–31. After being named permanent head coach later that year, he guided the Pacers to a 41–23 finish and their first playoff appearance in four years. In his first full season as Pacers’ head coach, Vogel led them to Central Division title with a 42–24 record. The following season, Vogel helped lead the Pacers to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000.

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA Champion, winning consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013. In his first season as head coach, Spoelstra led the Heat to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks. The following year, with a revamped roster that included the additions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, he led Miami to their first NBA Championship.

Spoelstra was born in Evanston, Illinois, but raised in Seattle, Washington. He is of Filipino descent; his paternal grandfather migrated from the Philippine province of Capiz to Hawaii, while his father and mother were both born in Seattle. Spoelstra attended high school at Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon, where he was a three-year varsity letterman in basketball and also served as captain during his senior year. He then enrolled at the University of Portland, where he played basketball for two years before transferring to Division II school University of Portland.

In college, Spoelstra became interested in coaching after reading Jack Ramsay’s Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. He began his coaching career as a volunteer video coordinator for Rick Majerus at Marquette University; majerus paid him $1,000 per month out of his own pocket. He later served as an assistant coach for Dave Odom at Wake Forest University and Pat Riley with the New York Knicks before joining the Miami Heat in 1995 as their video coordinator. Riley promoted Spoelstra to assistant coach in October 2008.

The Venue

The NBA Finals are set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This will be the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Clippers. The two teams that are set to compete against each other in this best-of-seven series are the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors.

The Staples Center

Staples Center is a multi-purpose arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adventurous, music lovers, and sports enthusiasts flock to the Staples Center to watch their favorite teams play or to see chart-topping musicians perform.

The Staples Center is home to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The arena also serves as one venue for thelos Angeles Clippers and los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. The Kings Stanley Cup Championship winning seasons were in 2012 and 2014.

When hosting basketball games, the arena can seat up to 19,068 fans, making it one of the largest NBA venues by capacity. For concerts and other entertainment events, however, it can accommodate up to 22,000 guests. The Staples Center has been referred to as “the cornerstone of downtown L.A.”, “the home of Hollywood celebrities”, and “a shiny symbol of a modern metropolis”.

The History

The NBA Championship is the annual professional basketball championship for the National Basketball Association (NBA). The winning team of the NBA Finals receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.

Lakers vs. Heat in the NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are set to meet in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Lakers are making their 31st appearance in the Finals, which is the most of any team in NBA history. The Heat are making their 10th appearance in the Finals, which is tied for fifth-most in NBA history.