PSO Premium Review: 2020 NBA Finals Lakers vs. Heat

1. LeBron James is still at the top of his game

Crowning himself as the King of the Disney World Castle, LeBron James defended his title as the most talented man to lace up sneakers on planet Earth by capturing the Lakers’ 17^th Championship title (tied for most all-time). King James now hoists four Finals rings and four Finals MVPs, thusly making the G.O.A.T. conversation that much more intriguing with him adding to his royalty amongst the league’s legends. This season also marked the 17^th year of his reign and there’s no sign of him losing an edge in his ever-lasting battle against father time, despite going on 36 years of age.

2. Miami Heat have the makings of a consistent championship contender

Nobody gave the fifth-seeded team from the Eastern Conference a shot of coming out the East this year (Besides PSO, of course). Upon review, perhaps more people should have realized how this team is built for success beyond the names on the roster. Serious title contenders are made from a particular recipe and Miami has all the necessary ingredients to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy in the very near future and hold up Jimmy Butler’s promise. It all starts with their virtuoso head coach Erik Spoelstra who raised two banners for Miami in 2012 and 2013 with none-other-than LeBron James.

It was evidenced throughout the treacherous six Finals games that there are a plethora of young gems on the Heat’s roster with a tremendous amount of upside. Showcased in the Finals was long-range sniper Duncan Robinson who exploded for seven 3s in Game 5, 20-year-old Tyler Herro who set several rookie postseason records, and the extremely athletic Center Bam Adebayo who floated above the clouds to casually top-off lobs and made his presence felt defensively at every level. This, in conjunction with their seasoned core of veterans, is the correct formula to prove their Finals run in the Bubble was far from a fluke. It already seems like Vegas isn’t learning from their mistake and continue to sleep on the team from South Beach. 

3. LBJ-AD could be the greatest duo ever assembled

The Los Angeles Lakers of 2020 showed shades of the 1980s Showtime Lakers’ run-and-gun style of play that collected the franchise five championships behind the legendary duo of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. This LA team resembles that “Showtime” Lakers squad in more ways than one as LeBron and AD spearhead the Lakers dominant duo these days with a run-and-gun style that’s nearly unstoppable in the fast break.

Complementary to their air-tight, ball smothering defense, LA continuously produced picture-esque offense as they ranked second in fast-break points per game in the playoffs as well. Beyond the fast break, this duo is one of the best defensive pairs ever with All-NBA resumes and became the first duo to drop 25+ points on 50% FG each over an entire playoff run. The extremely efficient and effective pair might not have the longevity of a Jordan-Pippen or Magic-Kareem, but if this duo goes on to win three in a row like Shaq-Kobe did in a Lakers uniform, the conversation will certainly be in play that this tag-team at its peak was the best to ever do it and it all started with this extraordinary 2020 NBA Finals run.