The NBA Finals Logo on the court. (Photo Courtesy NBA)
The NBA playoffs have been worth watching over the past two months. Fans have witnessed series upsets, coaches fired, and players motivated by the intensity of the crowds. As the Finals begin, there are questions about the decisions that will be made in the offseason regarding the future of some all-stars, coaches, general managers, and team rosters.
For the first time since the NBA Play-In Tournament was established in 2021, both the Eastern and Western Conferences had teams that were their seventh and eighth seeds make the conference finals. The Los Angeles Lakers were the seventh seed in the West, and the Miami Heat was the eighth seed in the East. The runs made by both teams were the biggest surprises of the playoffs.
In round one of the Western Conference Playoffs, The Lakers knocked off the two seed Memphis Grizzlies in six games. The Lakers would go on to defeat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in six games. Golden State had never lost in the Western Conference playoffs under head coach Steve Kerr. However, the Lakers' winning streak ran out in the Western Conference Finals, when they were swept by the one-seed Denver Nuggets, who will make their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
In the East, the Miami Heat have become the most talked about team. The Heat made the right adjustments to their starting lineup, and in the opening round of the playoffs, upset the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Bucks were the one-seed in the Eastern Conference and had the best record in the NBA. In the second round, the Heat faced the New York Knicks, adding to their storied rivalry dating back to the 1990s. The Miami Heat won in six games largely because of their bench coming up clutch in late games, and putting pressure on Knicks’ forward, Julius Randle, causing him to play poorly in the late minutes of every game during the series.
Miami’s greatest challenge came as they faced the Boston Celtics in the third round. This was the third time in the past four years these two teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year, The Celtics beat the Heat in seven games on their home court. However, this time, the Heat demolished the Celtics in the first three games before the Celtics put up a fight with great defense in the next three games, and Derrick White’s buzzer-beater shot in game 6 forced a seventh. However, the Heat were able to adjust and did not allow the Celtics to be the first team in NBA history to come back from 3-0 down and won the series on the Celtics' home court. The Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals and are the second eight seed to make it to the NBA finals, with the first being the New York Knicks in 1999.
The NBA Finals kick off on June 1st. Will the Denver Nuggets win their first ever Championship or will the Miami Heat go from 8th Seed and Win their Fourth Championship Title?