Who’s in the NBA Finals This Year?
Contents
The NBA Finals are upon us! Who’s in it this year? Read on to find out!
The teams
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. 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, setting a league record for wins in a season by winning 72 games during the 1995–96 season before adding another championship in 2000.
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. They play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and have won three NBA championships.
The players
The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals this year. These are the two teams that have been to the Finals the past few years. The Warriors are led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Cavaliers are led by LeBron James. These are the two best players in the NBA.
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 (MVP) Awards, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. He has also been selected to 16 All-Star teams, 12 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams.
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis (born March 11, 1993) 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 the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by New Orleans, is a five-time NBA All-Star, and has been named to three All-NBA First Teams and three NBA All-Defensive Teams. He also earned a gold medal playing with Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler IV (/ˈbʊtlər/; born September 14, 1989) 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.
In his fourth NBA season, Butler was named an NBA All-Star for the first time and also earned his first All-NBA selection. He has since been named an All-Star three more times (2015, 2018, 2019) and has earned two more All-NBA selections (2017 and 2018). In 2017, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. In 2015, he helped lead the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2019, Butler won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors.
The coaches
Bruins coach Steve Kerr will be leading his team against the Miami Heat this year in the NBA Finals. Coach Spoelstra will be looking to set a new record for the most NBA Finals wins.
Frank Vogel
Frank Vogel (born June 21, 1973) 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. Vogel led the Pacers to five consecutive Central Division titles and back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014. He spent his formative years in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey.
Erik Spoelstra
Erik Spoelstra (/ˈspoʊlstrə/; born November 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. Prior to becoming head coach of the Heat, Spoelstra served as an assistant coach and video coordinator for the team.
Spoelstra was born in Evanston, Illinois to Jon Spoelstra, then-general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers. Jon moved his family to Buffalo, New York, when Erik was an infant. The family later moved to Seattle when his father became general manager of the SuperSonics. His mother wanted Erik to follow in his father’s footsteps and become involved with basketball, but Erik enjoyed playing baseball and football as a youth. In 1990 he graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in communications.
The series
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Game 1
## The Warriors are in the NBA Finals for the 5th consecutive year. They will face off against the Toronto Raptors, who are in the Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Finals will be a best-of-seven series, with the first two games being played in Toronto.
The Warriors are coming into the Finals as heavy favorites, having won 3 of the last 4 NBA championships. However, the Raptors have been one of the best teams in the league all season, and they will not be an easy opponent.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, May 30th at 9:00 PM ET.
Game 2
On October 12, Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals will be played at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Miami Heat. The game will start at 9 pm EST and will be broadcast on ABC.
Game 3
The Clippers took a 2-1 lead in the series with a 111-103 Game 3 victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night. Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points to lead the way for Los Angeles, while LeBron James had 28 points and eight assists for the Lakers.
The outcome
The Golden State Warriors are in the NBA Finals this year. They are playing against the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors are the favourites to win, but the Raptors have a chance.
Who will win?
The Warriors are currently in the lead with a 3-2 series score. They have shown great resilience and strength throughout the playoffs and seem to be peaking at the right time. The Raptors, on the other hand, are struggling to find their form. They have been relying too much on Kawhi Leonard and have not been able to get consistent scoring from their other players.
Based on these factors, it is likely that the Warriors will win the NBA Finals this year.
