Who Is In The 2021 Nba Finals?

The 2021 NBA Finals are set to tip off on July 8th, and the two teams that will be vying for the championship are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat.

The Teams

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, when they defeated the Boston Celtics in seven games. The Lakers are led by LeBron James, who is looking to win his fourth NBA championship. The Miami Heat are in the Finals for the first time since 2014, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. The Heat are led by Jimmy Butler, who is looking to win his first NBA championship.

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 Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, and have won 16 NBA championships, the second-most behind the Boston Celtics.

The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers. Initially a member of the NBL, the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joiningthe rival Basketball Association of America (BAA), where they would win five of their next six championships. In 1950, led by future Hall of Famers George Mikan, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, they won their sixth NBA Championship. Cousins retired after winning consecutive championships in 1959 and 1960; however, Mikan came back for one more season to lead them to defeat Cincinnati for their seventh title in 1962. Russell retired soon thereafter but would win another championship with Boston in 1968; making him one of only two players (Wilt Chamberlain beingthe other) to win an NCAA title, an NBL title, an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal.

The Lakers struggled after Russell’s retirement but eventually recovered during Magic Johnson’s tenure as head coach between 1994 and 1996; he led them to eight consecutive playoff appearances and their first Finals appearance since 1988. After Johnson’s sudden retirement following his announcement that he had contracted HIV/AIDS in November 1991, former player Jerry West succeeded him as general manager. The Yamaha Corporation donated $24 million toward construction costs for a new arena complex which was completed shortly thereafter and opened during their 1996–97 season as Staples Center; it replaced what was then known as Inglewood Forum which had previously served as home court for several high school basketball teams across southern California since it was completed in 1967.. In 2000 long-time head coach Del Harris was fired one year after leadingthe team back into postseason contention despite injuries to key players Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal2and replaced byora assistant Mike Dunleavy Sr., who led them back into playoff contention with young stars Bryant and O’Neal3leading them back into title contention by 2002

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The club was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA’s rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before relocating to Long Island, New York, in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1974 and 1976). It is one of only four current teams (the other three being Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets) that were part of both ABA–NBA mergers done prior to 1976: all were part of either merger while they were still ABA members or both then-ABA members and now current NBA members in their respective leagues’ Eastern Conferences. After initially planning to build a new arena at Nassau Coliseum which would have retained all four teams when they acquired ownership of both facilities from Howard Milstein intent on renovating Nassau Coliseum for them to share with NHL’s New York Islanders instead to replace aging Madison Square Garden after finding such move unpractical due to MSG being unable to fund required renovations while also facing strong community opposition preventing sale surrounding land not owned by MSG making those impractical as well thus deciding on building Barclays Center instead creating space for them forcing Islanders into finding new home leading them building UBS Arena set to open next year as a result, moves back into city limits for first time since 1957 with them being last NYC-based major professional sports team playing home games outside city limits due primarily MSG being sole indoor sports facility able accommodate major professional sports events comfortably until construction completed on then-unnamed known now as Barclays Center opening 2012 forcing them out again returning home after 55-year absence playing home games at then newly named Barclays Center ever since.

The Players

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat are in the 2021 NBA Finals. The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Heat have Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

LeBron James

LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984) 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 basketball players in NBA history,[8][9] and has been frequently compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar.[10] A prep-to-pro, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school in 2003 and won Rookie of the Year honors that season. He would lead the Cavs to their first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. After failing to return to the Finals for five consecutive seasons, James joined Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat where he won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After his fourth season with Miami, James rejoined Cleveland in 2014. In 2016, he led an injury-riddled Cavaliers team to victory over Stephen Curry and the record setting 73–9 Golden State Warriors team very famously coming back from a 3–1 deficit in The Finals becoming only the third team ever to do so en route to his third championship with franchise and ultimately avenging his 2015 Finals loss against them. In 2020, he led his squad to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance becoming only one of two players along with Jerry West ever to do so. Throughout his seventeen seasons, James has been selected to fourteen All-Star teams (15 times), eleven All-NBA First Teams (13 times), ten All-Defensive First Teams (thirteen times), has won four NBA MVP Awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), three NBA Finals MVP Awards (2012, 2013, 2016) two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), an NBA Championship (2016), and is the all-time leader as both franchises’ leader scorer than any other player per game average wise as well as total points scored for both teams.[11][12][13]

James played a then league record 13 seasons for two franchises: first seven with Cavaliersand last six with Lakers. He also holds numerous franchise records while rankingthird on both Cavaliers’and Lakers’all time scoring list behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbarand Kobe Bryantrespectively.[note 1] As well as being third on their all time assists list behind Magic Johnsonand Abdul-Jabbar respectively as well.[note 2] He also ranks second on both teams’all time steals list behind only Johnson.[note 3]On January 23 2021 against Atlanta Hawks; James scored 44 points at age 36; becoming oldest player since Kareem Abdul Jabbar at 38 years old during 1986–87 NBA seasonomn scoring at least 40 points . He became second person after Karl Maloneat age 40 during 2002–03 seasonomn accing such accomplishmentas well.[14][15]

During his tenure with Lakers due complicated cap situation that led most talented free agents joining other squads instead;[16][17]He was forced became de facto GM right alongside president Rob Pelinkaand head coach Vogelwhile also mentoring young core of Lonzo BallKyle KuzmaBrandon IngramJosh Hartand Kentavious Caldwell Popeamong others; which due resulting strainon him contributed factors that led him suffering significant injuries such missing 27 games due right ankle sprainon 2019–20 seasonand 52 games due ruptured right Achilles tendonright before playoffs on 2020–21 seasonrespectfully.[18][19][20][21]

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. He played nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which resulted in him missing the entire 2019–20 season. After signing with Brooklyn in 2020, Durant won his third NBA championship with the team after they defeated his former team, the Warriors, in five games.

Durant has won two NBA Finals MVP Awards (2017 and 2018), an NBA Most Valuable Player Award (2014), two Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards (2017 and 2018), four NBA scoring titles (2010–2012 and 2014), an NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2008), two Olympic gold medals (2012 and 2016), and an NBA Most Valuable Player Award (2014). He has also been selected to twelve NBA All-Star teams, twelve All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.

The Coaches

In the 2021 NBA Finals, we will see the Los Angeles Lakers led by head coach Frank Vogel take on the Miami Heat, coached by Erik Spoelstra. These are two of the best coaches in the league and it will be interesting to see how they match up against each other.

Frank Vogel

Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic.

Steve Nash

Steve Nash is the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, a post he has held since 2020. Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but moved to Victoria, British Columbia, when he was 18 months old. He played college basketball at Santa Clara University, where he was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. Nash began his professional career with the Phoenix Suns in 1996 and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. He spent six seasons with the Mavericks, before returning to the Suns in 2004. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2005 and 2006, and helped lead the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2006. Nash joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2012 and retired from playing in 2015.

The Matchups

Lakers vs Nets

In the 2021 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while the Lakers will rely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. These two teams met in the regular season, with the Lakers winning both games.

The 2021 NBA Finals will be a rematch of last year’s championship series, which was won by the Lakers. This year’s matchup will feature two of the league’s best players in LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The two superstars have faced off in the Finals before, with James winning in 2012 and Durant winning in 2017.

The Nets are making their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2002, when they lost to the Lakers. The Nets are led by two of the best players in the league in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant is a former MVP and Finals MVP, while Irving is a six-time All-Star. The Nets have never won an NBA championship.

The Lakers are making their 32nd appearance in the NBA Finals, which is tied for the most of any team in NBA history. The Lakers have won 16 championships, which is also tied for the most of any team in NBA history. The Lakers are led by LeBron James, who is making his 10th appearance in the Finals.

James vs Durant

LeBron James and Kevin Durant have met in the NBA Finals four times, with James winning three championships. In 2012, James’s Miami Heat defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. Durant got his revenge in 2017, when his Warriors beat James’s Cavaliers in five games. The two superstars faced off again in 2018 and 2019, with the Warriors winning both times in a sweep.

This year, the two are on different teams again. James is leading the Los Angeles Lakers, while Durant is playing for the Brooklyn Nets. The 2021 NBA Finals will be their fifth matchup.

The Predictions

It’s that time of year again. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and the best teams in the league are battle it out for a spot in the finals. But who will come out on top? Here are our predictions for the 2021 NBA Finals.

Lakers in 6

It’s hard to bet against the defending champions. The Los Angeles Lakers have all the tools to repeat as NBA champions, and they should be able to get past the Miami Heat in the 2021 NBA Finals.

The Lakers are led by two of the best players in the world in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. James is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and he’s motivated to prove that he can still dominate at age 36. Davis is a force on both ends of the floor, and he’s only getting better.

The Lakers also have a number of role players who have proven they can step up in big moments. Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Rajon Rondo are all capable of scoring when needed, and they’re all good defenders.

The Heat are a very good team, but they don’t have enough firepower to match up with the Lakers. Jimmy Butler is a great player, but he can’t do it alone. Bam Adebayo is one of the best young players in the league, but he’s not ready to carry a team to a title yet.

Prediction: Lakers in 6

Nets in 7

I’ve seen a lot of people say the Nets will win in 6 or 7. I think it’ll be 7. I think the Nets have too much firepower. They have 3 guys that can take over a game offensively in Durant, Irving, and Harden. The Bucks have Giannis and Khris Middleton, but I don’t think they have enough to match up with the Nets.