NBA FINALS PREVIEW 2020

 

On Wednesday September 30^th the NBA Finals begins and it features The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. This NBA Finals has many stories with many being centered around the fact that Lebron James is going up against his former team in the Miami Heat. Also, this is the first time in NBA History that 2 teams who missed the previous season are in the NBA Finals. Both teams dominated their way to the NBA Finals with both losing just 3 games. We will look at what are some things that each needs to do to win the NBA Championship and provide X factor players for each team

 

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat got to the finals by being great at playing team defense and being great in close games in the 4^th quarter. They were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA this season and continued that trend in the playoffs including hitting timely shots to extend leads. The Heat are extremely versatile on defense and can switch multiple positions which will come in handy when playing the Lakers. For the Heat to win they must continue playing their tenacious 2-3 zone and make sure they box out. When you play zone, it can lead to giving offensive rebounds at times and the Lakers are the last team you want to give extra possessions to. Jimmy Butler must continue to be the swift army knife on defense as he will be going guard Lebron James majority of the series.

 

X Factor

The X factor for the Miami Heat will be rookie Tyler Herro. He has proven he is not afraid of the big moment by averaging over 19 points in the Eastern Conference Finals. This includes a 37 point performance in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He will have to elevate game once more for the Heat to win which include averaging 20 points, and 5 assists. If he does this the Heat will have a chance to win.

 

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers got to the Finals based on strong performances from Lebron James and Anthony Davis. This Anthony Davis first finals appearance and all eyes will be on him to see how he performs. The key for the Lakers to win is to play discipline perimeter defense and not fouling the 3 point shooters of the Heat. Also, they will have to be sure to not let up against the Heat because they will always continue to fight until the final buzzer. This will be Lebron’s 10 NBA Finals appearance. 

 

X Factor

The X Factor for the Lakers will be Dwight Howard. He is a veteran player who has been to the finals back in 2009 and he will be looking to finally capture a championship ring. Also Howard will be a key reserve to help with guarding Bam Adebayo. He will need to be physical when helping to the contain what can be considered a younger version of himself who can handle the ball. Howard played well in the Western Conference Finals and will look to continue and turn back the clock for 4 more games.

 

Prediction

My NBA Finals is that the Los Angeles Lakers will win in 6 games and that Anthony Davis will be named NBA Finals MVP.

TOP COACHING OPENINGS

 

On Tuesday September 22^nd it was announced that the Chicago Bulls hired former Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan to the same position. This was a great hire to me he is good with working with young players. The Bulls have a young core centered around shooting guard Zach Lavine and young big man duo of Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. The Bulls have a lot of young talent that if they can stay healthy, they can challenge for the 8^th or 7^th seed in the Eastern Conference. With the Bulls coaching vacancy being filled let’s look at the top 3 coaching openings. The top 3 coaching openings to me are the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Philadelphia 76ers.

 

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets is the best opening due to fact they have a dynamic duo in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The team can be a top 5 team in the NBA and are in Win now mode. James Harden is a top 5 player in the league. They need to rethink their blind commitment to small ball. When you are in the playoffs and the game slow downs and you are not hitting your 3’s you have to be able to get extra possessions through offensive rebounds. Also stop just shooting 3’s work in a midrange game because you become one dimensional. When the game plan is not working you must be able to pivot otherwise you will fall short of expectations and their aspirations. When you have 2 former MVPS on the same team everyone will be eager to coach the team they just need to retool by adding some rebounders that are taller than 6’8 and you have a shot at the championship.

 

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have a great job opening they have a rising star in All Star Brandon Ingram, to go along with their great young core featuring #1 overall pick Zion Williamson. They have an identity in how they want to play which is run up and down the floor. You just need to get a coach who will emphasize a little bit of defense and they will be an exciting team to watch. Next year they likely won’t make the playoffs but 2022 watch out they will be coming and ready to take the league by storm. Zion looks like a promising young star must stay healthy and when he is healthy Pelicans need to let him play don’t coddle him because he can be a detriment to his development as a player.

 

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have the third best job opening in the NBA. The 76ers have two great players in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid but they cannot play together. Simmons shows a reluctance to shoot anything outside of the paint. This causes an issue and clogs the inside and makes the 76ers easy to defend in a half court set. In addition, both Simmons and Embiid having frequent injury histories, you also have Horford signed to a 3-year contract that would be hard to move and get the shooters you need to truly compete for championship. Talent wins in the NBA so the 76ers will be an attractive job and coaches will think they can make Simmons and Embiid work. They need a coach who will hold the duo accountable and sky is the limit for the 76ers.

 

 

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2020 Western Conference Finals Prediction

 

The Western Conference Finals is set it has the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Denver Nuggets. This is a matchup that many people did not see coming. The Lakers were by everyone’s expectations they are where they supposed to be in the conference finals. The Denver Nuggets are the surprise of the Western Conference. Game 1 is Friday Night and we will look at how the Nuggets and the Lakers got to the Western Conference Finals

 

The Los Angeles Lakers had a relatively easy round to the conference finals they won both their first and second round matchups they won in 5 games. They would lose both series openers which when looking back seems to be the first games were used as a feeling out game. This way the Lakers would figure out the best ways to attack both the Portland Trailblazers and the Houston Rockets. The Lakers dominated on both ends of the floor.

 

The Denver Nuggets took a historical route to get to the Western Conference Finals. They were down 3-1 to the Utah Jazz and they climbed their way back and won 3 straight including a hard-fought game 7. In the second round they faced the heavy favorites in the Los Angeles Clippers. And found themselves done 3-1 once again. The Clippers would go up in the next 3 games by 10 or more points. The Nuggets did not quit and won the next 3 games to win another series. By doing this they became the first team in NBA History to win multiple playoff series in the same season after being down 3-1 in each series.

 

My prediction for the Western Conference Finals is that the Los Angeles Lakers will win in 5 games and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.