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In the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers lost their first game of their series. They bucked that trend in the Western Conference Finals, and hope to keep it that way in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, but the Miami Heat will obviously have different plans.
The Heat have played the role of giant assassin during the playoffs, and their final surprise came in the second round, when they beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in just five games. The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA, and Antetokounmpo received the most first-place votes for the MVP award for the second year in a row. The Heat entered the postseason as the fifth seed.
They will face another No. 1 seed in the Lakers, but the surprise factor with Miami is almost gone. They are good and everyone knows it, and if not, they are about to find out. The biggest question heading into Game 1 is: If the Heat are good, are the Lakers great?
The Lakers will have the ability to play with the best two players on the court at all times, health permitting, but the Heat are a deep team and they have the staff to make LeBron James and Anthony Davis work. They also have a few types that can heat up quickly, including but not limited to Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, and Duncan Robinson. This is not a series where perimeter defense will be optional, at least not for Los Angeles.
Game 1 should be seen as a determining factor. If James and Davis are going to dominate the series, we will find out Wednesday night. If the Lakers’ defense is too overwhelming for the Heat, we’ll find out Wednesday night.
And if the Heat are a bigger threat than anyone could have expected heading into the season, well, we’ll find out too.
Notes and updates
- Dion Waiters has been removed from the Lakers injury report, which means he will be available to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Waiters has missed the last eight games with a groin injury.
- Alex Caruso (right wrist pain), Anthony Davis (right heel contusion), Danny Green (palmar plate injury, left ring finger) and LeBron James (right groin pain) will likely play. There are no significant rotation players on the Heat’s injury report.
- Some of our staff gave their series predictions and Finals MVP predictions. Our “Talk O ‘Tuesday” podcast is choosing the Lakers in six games.
The Lakers and Heat will begin at 6:00 pm PT on ABC. You can also sign up to watch the game on fuboTV here.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.
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