Who Is Left In The NBA Finals?
Contents
With the Golden State Warriors out of the NBA Finals, the question now is, who is left?
The Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks are the last two teams standing, and they will face off in the best-of-seven series starting on Thursday.
The Teams
The NBA Finals are down to the last two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. These two teams have been dominant all season long and it is no surprise that they are the ones left standing. Let’s take a look at each team and their chances of winning the NBA Finals.
The 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, their last being in 2010.
The 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 NBA finals are down to two teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. The Lakers are led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Heat are led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson.
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 basketball players in NBA history. James has won four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to fifteen NBA All-Star teams, seventeen All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis was selected first overall in the 2012 NBA draft by New Orleans and is a six-time NBA All-Star. He has been named to five All-NBA teams, including three times to the first team. He also earned two All-Star Game MVP awards and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat 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.
Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo, nicknamed “Bam Bam”, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. As a sophomore in college, he was named a consensus second-team All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. After declaring for the 2017 NBA draft, he was selected by the Miami Heat with the 14th overall pick.
In his rookie season, Adebayo was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He helped lead the Heat to an appearance in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, where they were defeated in seven games by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. In 2019, he made his first NBA All-Star Game appearance and helped lead Miami to an appearance in the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games.
The Coaches
Frank Vogel
Frank Vogel is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for 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.
Vogel was born in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. He grew up in Merrillville, Indiana, and graduated from Merrillville High School in 1987. Vogel then attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1991 with a degree in economics.
Erik Spoelstra
Erik Jon Spoelstra (/ˈspoʊlstrə/; born November 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has led the Heat to six NBA Finals appearances, including four consecutive trips between 2011 and 2014, winning consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013.
Spoelstra grew up in Portland, Oregon as the son of Jon Spoelstra, then-general manager and president of the Portland Trail Blazers. He attended the University of Portland before transferring to Portland State University. After a brief stint working with his father for the Blazers in their video services department, he became an assistant video coordinator for the Heat in 1995.
Promoted to head coach in 2008, Spoelstra guided the team to 46 wins and their first playoff appearance in four years. The next season, Miami won 47 games and upset the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers en route to their first ever NBA Finals appearance where they lost to Dallas Mavericks. After Chris Bosh and LeBron James joined fellow All-Star Dwyane Wade on the Heat roster during 2010 free agency, expectations rose as Miami looked like a championship contender. Behind their “Big Three”, Miami advanced to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year where they defeated Dallas to win their first ever NBA title.
The following season, Miami again reached the NBA Finals where they lost to Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in six games. They rebounded in 2012 by defeating Oklahoma City Thunder in five games during that year’s NBA Finals en route to their second consecutive NBA title. During 2013 free agency, James left Miami for his home state Cleveland Cavaliers while Bosh was sidelined most of that season due to injuries; nonetheless, Wade led a depleted squad back to the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year where they were swept by San Antonio Spurs.
After another coaching change during 2014 off-season with James returning as a free agent signing with Cleveland once again and Bosh returning from injury, Spoelstra was able to guide a young squad consisting of rookies Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow along with second-year players Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside into contention for another playoff appearance finishing 48–34 which was good enough for seventh place in Eastern Conference standings missing out on sixth place by one game behind Charlotte Hornets resulting him winning his fourth Coach of The Month award becoming only one of three coaches joining Pat Riley & Gregg Popovich as active coaches achieving such feat also becoming just one seventh head coach joining Riley (5), Don Nelson (5), Lenny Wilkens (4), Jerry Sloan (4), Rick Adelman (4) & George Karl (4) joining Popovich who has earned it nine times setting another franchise record joining Riley who did it twice as well leading them into Eastern Conference Semifinals facing off against Toronto Raptors which they lost in seven games but not before taking 3–2 lead making this his sixth time leading them coming back from 0–2 deficit joining Riley who did three times & Popovich who did it twice spoiling Raptors’ bid for their first ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance after being unable win Game 7 despite 27 points from DeMar DeRozan & 20 points from Kyle Lowry losing due variety reasons most noticeably due being outscored 32–43 during second half including 25–19 during crucial fourth quarter alsothis was also his fifth time coaching team coming back from 0–1 or worse deficit after being down 1–3 against Indiana Pacers which they won forcing Game 7 which they subsequently lost making this only third time he wasn’t able win series after having 2–0 series lead losing 2009 First Round matchup against Atlanta Hawks & 2014 Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup against Toronto Raptors
The Matchups
As the NBA Finals wind down, we are left with only two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. After an exciting regular season and an even more exhilarating playoffs, these two teams have fought their way to the Finals and will battle it out for the championship. Who will come out on top? Let’s take a look at the matchups.
The Lakers vs. the Heat
In the 2020 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the Miami Heat. The much-anticipated series will feature two of the league’s most storied franchises, with a total of 32 NBA championships between them.
The Lakers are led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both looking to add another NBA title to their already illustrious careers. The Heat, on the other hand, are led by All-StarJimmy Butler, who is looking to lead his team to an unlikely Finals victory.
This series is sure to be a thrilling one, and it will be fascinating to see which team comes out on top.
The Players vs. the Coaches
In the NBA, it is widely accepted that the game is won or lost based on the players on the court. However, in the NBA Finals, there is another factor that comes into play: the coaches. While every team in the playoffs has a great coach, there are only two left in the Finals. Here is a look at how they match up.
Steve Kerr vs. Tyronn Lue
Kerr is in his fourth year as head coach of the Warriors and has compiled a regular season record of 265-63 (.808). In his playoff career, he has gone 43-20 (.683), which includes winning three NBA Championships. In his first year as head coach of the Cavaliers, Lue has compiled a regular season record of 91-63 (.591). In his playoff career, he has gone 20-8 (.714), which includes winning one NBA Championship.
As far as coaching style goes, Kerr is known for his offensive mind while Lue is known for his defensive mind. However, both coaches have shown that they are more than capable of making adjustments on both ends of the court. One area where Kerr has an advantage over Lue is experience. This will be Kerr’s fourth trip to the Finals as a head coach, while this will be Lue’s second trip to the Finals as a head coach. Another area where Kerr has an advantage over Lue is player management. Throughout these playoffs, there have been times when Kerr has had to manage egos and keep players happy with their roles. While Lue has also done a great job with player management, it is something that Kerr has more experience with.
One area where Lue has an advantage over Kerr is roster construction. Before this season, many people thought that the Cavaliers roster was not good enough to compete for an NBA Championship. However, Lue was able to make some adjustments to the roster (trade for Kyle Korver and sign Derrick Williams) that have put them in a position to win another championship. While Kerr has also done a great job with roster construction, it is something that Lue has more experience with.
The bottom line is that both coaches are very good at what they do and it will be interesting to see how they match up against each other in this series.
The Outcome
It is hard to say who will be left in the NBA Finals. The two teams that are left are the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors have been to the Finals five times in the last ten years. The Cavaliers have been to the Finals four times in the last ten years.
Who Will Win?
It’s anyone’s guess who will take home the NBA Championship this year. The Golden State Warriors are the defending champions, but they’re facing stiff competition from the likes of the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors.
The Warriors are led by superstar Stephen Curry, who is averaging 29.3 points per game in the playoffs so far. They also have Kevin Durant, who is averaging 28.8 points per game. The Rockets are led by James Harden, who is averaging 32.5 points per game. The Raptors are led by Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 27.5 points per game.
So, who will win? It’s hard to say for sure, but it should be a great series!
