The Los Angeles Lakers, after triumphing over the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals, advanced to the championship to face the Miami Heat on Sept. 30. The two teams faced off for the championship title, with the Lakers currently leading. With three more potential games to be played, the Lakers and Heat will clash at least one more time until a victor is decided.

The Lakers are currently favored to win the championship. “The Lakers have more playmaking ability,” said senior Johnkeith Jirakuntacha-Wong. “The Lakers are a lot bigger than the Heat. They have more experience in the finals with players like Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Danny Green.” 

The Lakers are centered around the duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. James has had a prolific career and has done well this season. According to Sports Illustrated, James is currently the best player in the league, and he has done extremely well. Anthony Davis, a forward, has also performed well. Thanks to his last minute shot, the Lakers were able to take Game 2. Davis and James have been an almost unstoppable force on offense, and they led the Lakers to victory in their first two games of the finals. While the Lakers may not be the best team overall, they have many stars that can lead them to victory.

While the Lakers may be favored to win, the Miami Heat cannot be counted out yet. The Heat’s two strongest players are Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Butler was the Heat’s strongest player during the regular season, and has continued to play strongly during the postseason. Butler excels in the fourth quarter, and will likely be used the most then. However, Adebayo is currently considered the strongest player the heat has. Butler called Adebayo “the reason we’re going to win a championship.” One of the most versatile players the Heat has, Adebayo has performed exceedingly well in the postseason, scoring a career high of 32 points in the last game of the conference finals. The Heat will likely use Adebayo’s agility and height to counter Anthony Davis. 

Despite lots of speculation, the outcome of the NBA Finals is still unknown. Johnkeith is optimistic about the Lakers’ chance to win, and he doubts that Butler will be able to carry the Heat to a victory.

When asked about who he hopes will win, Johnkeith said, “I hope the Lakers win.”

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