The NBA Finals: Who Is Favored To Win This Year?

As the regular season comes to a close, we take a look at the NBA Finals and which team is favored to win it all this year.

Introduction

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of the sport’s postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 in which the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions.

The teams

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team was founded in 1947 and they play their home games at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers have won 16 NBA championships, which is the second most in NBA history behind the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers have been one of the most successful teams in NBA history. They have made the playoffs 51 times, which is more than any other team in the NBA. They have also won 31 division titles, which is more than any other team in the NBA. The Lakers have had some of the greatest players in NBA history including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.

The Lakers are currently coached by Frank Vogel and they are led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers are favored to win the 2020 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are one of the favorites to win this year’s NBA Finals. They have a star-studded lineup led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Goran Dragic. The Heat also have solid role players in Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro. They are a well-rounded team that can score, rebound, and defend. The Heat are coached by Erik Spoelstra, who is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He has led the Heat to two NBA championships in the past.

The Heat are going to be a tough team to beat in this year’s NBA Finals.

The players

The NBA Finals are set to tip off on May 30th and will feature the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. These are two of the best teams in the league and it should be a great series. But who is favored to win it all?

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He’s a four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA champion, and he’s still in the prime of his career. James is averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he’s been even better in the playoffs. The Cavs are currently in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, and they’re looking to win their second championship in that span.

James has been the best player in the world for many years now, but he’s faced some stiff competition from other all-time greats like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. However, there’s no denying that LeBron is the best player of his generation, and he’s looking to solidify his legacy with another championship win this year. The Cavs are currently favored to win the Finals, and it will be interesting to see if LeBron can lead them to victory once again.

Anthony Davis

Born in 1992 in Chicago, Illinois, Anthony Davis is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and has been named to the All-NBA First Team five times. In 2020, he was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after leading the Lakers to a win over the Miami Heat.

Davis was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2012 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best players in the league, earni

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. The Florida native put up big numbers during his four years of college ball, and he’s only gotten better since being drafted into the NBA in 2011.

Butler has been a key player for the Chicago Bulls, and he was instrumental in leading the team to the playoffs last year. His experience and leadership will be valuable in the postseason, and the Bulls will be counting on him to step up again this year.

With his strong all-around game, Butler has emerged as one of the best players in the NBA. He’s a versatile player who can score, rebound, and play defense at a high level. And he’s still just 27 years old.

The Bulls are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs this year, and they’ll need Butler to play at his best if they want to achieve that goal.

The coaches

Frank Vogel

Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Vogel was hired by the Lakers in May 2019 after serving as head coach for the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.

Vogel began his coaching career in the NBA as an advance scout for the Pacers during their Eastern Conference Finals run in 2000. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2001 and then to associate head coach in 2007. After head coach Jim O’Brien was fired in 2007, Vogel was named interim head coach and led the Pacers to a 20–18 record to finish out the season.

In his first full season as head coach, Vogel led the Pacers to 42 wins and their first playoff berth since 2006. The following season, Vogel guided the Pacers to 49 wins and their first Central Division title since 2004. The Pacers would go on to lose to the Miami Heat in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In 2012–13, Vogel led the Pacers to a franchise-record 56 wins and their second consecutive Central Division title. The Pacers would once again lose to the Heat, this time in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In 2013–14, Vogel led the Pacers to a 53–29 record and their third consecutive Central Division title. The Pacers would lose to the Heat in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Vogel was fired by the Pacers after six seasons on May 5, 2016. He finished his tenure with a 304–291 record (.511).

On May 30, 2016, Vogel was hired by the Magic as their head coach. In his first season with Orlando, he led them to a 29–53 record, missing the playoffs. The following season, he led them to a 25-57 record, again missing the playoffs.

On April 12, 2018, following a year in which he led Orlando to a 42-40 record and its first playoff appearance since 2012, Vogel was fired by Magic after two seasons.

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra is an American professional basketball coach and the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to becoming head coach of the Heat, he spent 19 years with the organization as a video coordinator, advance scout, and assistant coach. He is known for his use of advanced statistical analytics in his planning and game strategies.

Spoelstra was promoted to head coach on April 28, 2008, after Pat Riley stepped down. He led the Heat to their first NBA championship in franchise history that year, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games. The following season, Miami defended its title by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, becoming the first team since the 1989–90 Detroit Pistons to win consecutive championships. In 2013, he guided the Heat to their third straight NBA Finals appearance and their second straight championship, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

He has led Miami to nine playoff appearances, including seven trips to the NBA Finals. He is one of only three coaches with more than two NBA Championships with a sub-.500 career playoff record (11–14).

The match-ups

Lakers vs. Heat

The Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to take on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals this year. The Lakers are favorites to win, according to oddsmakers.

The Lakers have been the dominant team in the Western Conference all season long. They clinched the top seed in the conference with ease and then breezed through the playoffs, losing just twice in 16 games. In the finals, they will be up against a Miami team that is battle-tested and has experience winning on this stage.

The Heat are no strangers to the NBA Finals, having made it to the championship round in each of the last three seasons. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and 2017 before rebounding to win it all last year. This year, they will be looking to repeat as champions and cement their legacy as one of the great teams of this era.

The Lakers and Heat met twice during the regular season, with each team winning once. The Lakers won 116-98 in Los Angeles in November, while the Heat won 113-110 in Miami in December.

Both teams have All-Star caliber players at every position, which should make for an exciting and evenly matched series. The Lakers have Anthony Davis and LeBron James leading the way, while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will carry the load for Miami.

Predictions for who will win vary, but most experts believe that the Lakers have what it takes to come out on top. They have been the best team in basketball all season long and should be able to continue their dominance in the finals.

James vs. Butler

The James-Butler matchup could be one for the ages. The two have met four times in the past, with James holding a 2-1 lead in games played. In their most recent matchup, Butler had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while James had 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Vogel vs. Spoelstra

The 2019 NBA Finals head coaches, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers, have plenty in common.

Both men are in their 40s. They have each been coaching in the NBA for more than a decade. They have each led their teams to the NBA Finals multiple times.

But that’s where the similarities end.

Spoelstra is a quiet, cerebral coach who is known for his innovative offensive schemes. Vogel is a fiery motivator who specializes in defense.

Spoelstra’s Heat teams have been built around speed and shooting. Vogel’s Lakers teams have been built around size and power.

So who has the advantage in this year’s NBA Finals matchup? Let’s take a closer look at each coach’s history and style to find out.

The predictions

The 2017 NBA Finals are set to tip off on Thursday, June 1, pitting the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This will be the third consecutive season that these two teams have met in the Finals, with the Warriors winning in 2015 and the Cavaliers taking home the championship in 2016.

So who is favored to win this year?

The Warriors come into the series as heavy favorites, with most oddsmakers giving them odds of around -260 to win the series.

This means that you would have to bet $260 on the Warriors to win $100, while a bet on the Cavaliers would pay out $100 for every $180 that you wagered.

In other words, oddsmakers believe that there is approximately a 72% chance that the Warriors will be crowned champions for the second time in three years.

Conclusion

Based on the above analysis, it would appear that the Golden State Warriors are favored to win the NBA Finals this year. However, it is important to remember that anything can happen in the playoffs and that any team could come out on top.