It’s been 355 days since the start of the 2020 season, and the NBA has finally named a champion. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games to claim their 17th Championship in franchise history. Yippie.
JOB'S FINISHED: YOUR LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/Dnxtgt9i1d
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/hohighlights/status/1315474788148801537?s=10
Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers were able to take down a Cinderella Heat team that blew past the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics to claim a spot in their first Finals since 2014. Former-Bull Jimmy Butler played exceptionally well throughout the series, but the Lakers firepower proved far too much for the Heat to handle. In fact, Game 6 was utter domination from the start. Thanks to an elite defensive performance in the 2nd quarter, LA took a 64-36 lead into the locker room at half. The 28-point deficit for Miami is the second-largest for any team at the halfway mark in Finals history.
Now, let’s not beat around the bush. The win for James marks his 4th championship, which means he’s now earned himself a ring with three different franchises. The feat is nothing short of impressive. The guy averaged roughly 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in the Finals at the age of 35, and we have to give a massive, earth-shattering round of applause for his efforts. At the end of the day, there is no doubt he’s one of the best players to ever dribble that orange circle thing … but he’s still not the GOAT. Yup, you heard me. I couldn’t have a post with his name in it without writing that. Sorry, not sorry.
As for the kid from Chicago, he put together one hell of a series, as well. Anthony Davis had one down performance in Game 3 but otherwise was completely dominant. His defense in Game 6 pretty much sealed the deal for the Lakers in the first half, and he finished the night with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Sooooo anyway, this puts a somewhat predictable cap on what turned out to be an incredibly unpredictable season. What matters now is that the league can finally sit down and put all their focus into figuring out the logistics for the 2020-21 NBA season. As things stand, we have no clue what the salary cap will look like this offseason, let alone when any team will take the court again. The next several weeks will be vital for the future of the NBA.
What we do know is that the Chicago Bulls will now officially enter a new era! This offseason will be the first under a new front office leader in nearly 20 years. And while the roster may look the same next season, we have no idea how much longer it’ll stay that way, which is actually super duper exciting.
To tie a bow on this whole thing, congrats to the Lakers and blah blah blah. Don’t get used to this feeling, though, because the Bulls and Arturas Karnisovas are coming for you!
Ps: Imma just leave this here. Feel appropriate.
https://twitter.com/HistoryJumpman/status/1315039890430554112?s=20