By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Holla, readers!
As an NBA fan and as an analyst myself, I try to be technical with my observations regarding both teams, so I hope you agree or somewhat learn something through the weeks I’ve been covering the NBA playoffs.
For all the marbles, the biggest stage in the NBA has been finally set.
Both teams have their Cinderella story behind their journey to the final stop, from Jimmy Butler leading a group of undrafted and low-seed draftees, to LeBron James bringing the purple and gold back to the NBA finals after 10 years. So whose story are you rooting for?
James and the Lakers have been dominant in the playoffs so far, pummeling all of the teams they faced in just 5 games, while Butler and the Heat had to go to a wild eastern route after taking down NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks while also prevailing over a well-coached Boston Celtics squad.
Looking into the matchup, you can’t deny that you will see the favorite odds swing the Lakers side and the Heat take the underdog place.
But everybody saw how the Heat thrived at being the underdogs.
With godfather Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra building a never-say-die culture with the team since their arrival, expect them to battle every game against the heavy favorites.
Let’s get into the matchup.
The NBA bubble playoffs has been a clear evidence of how the Miami zone can hurt your offense. It was evident in their matchups against the Bucks and the Celtics, where Miami utilized the scheme effectively.
Digging deep into the Heat-Celtics series, their zone forced Marcus Smart or Kemba Walker to give up the ball to whoever was present in the middle with around 7 or 8 seconds left in the shot clock, and that happened to be Daniel Theis.
Nothing to go against Theis but the player lacked isolation moves to create and take on Bam Adebayo one-on-one.
Generally, the zone really hurt Boston which they kind of figured out in game 4 where they attacked with relentlessness, with Walker and Brown slashing to the interior at will.
Moving to the Lakers side, can the zone hurt them? Do they have an answer against the prime defensive set by Miami?
Well, yes, they do.
Coach Spo would like to put the ball in the hands of the opposing team’s big men in the dying seconds of the clock.
But this time, it won’t be Theis that Adebayo will face.
The receiver of the pass would be an All-NBA first team member in Anthony Davis with a totally different skill-set than the Boston bigs.
Additionally, the Lakers have the NBA’s assist leader in James who can slice up that zone defense to pieces with his pinpoint passing.
The whole NBA has been a witness of how James can deliver dimes, especially in the Denver series where coach Michael Malone tried to deploy a zone but didn’t affect the series due to James’ court vision, throwing lobs to Dwight Howard and Javal Mcgee at will.
Half-court offense? I think both teams did a terrific job of running their sets in the playoffs, with Miami opting to run numerous pick-and-roll actions for Adebayo, screen pin-downs and isolation post takes on Butler, and involving shooters Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro in multiple side screens and run curl-ups.
For the Lakers, coach Frank Vogel had different options on how to execute on the offensive end where he can rely on the post prowess of Davis, put the ball into James’ hands and create the offense, and can also set up prime shooters in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green.
The entire matchup would be interesting to watch, and I think one of the most crucial factors in the series is the teams’ respective benches.
Miami has Andre Iguodala, a proven defender who in the past had success defending James in the Finals during his Golden State Warrior days.
Lakeshow? No sweat. They have Rajon Rondo. An experienced point-guard and tagged to be one of the smartest to ever play in the NBA.
So what will be the Lakers’ edge in winning the title?
Many answers can be provided but I think the fact that they have the most explosive 1-2 punch in the NBA right now in James and Davis is enough already, together with a couple of veterans who were already there before in Howard and Rondo.
For the Heat? I think it would be their heart, their determination and will to win, and the fact that they embraced and embodied the culture of Miami since day 1 of not giving up.
Who you got? The purple and gold? Or the fiery red and white?
Finals will kick-off today, time to watch!
