David D’Annibale, Staff Writer |
The Los Angeles Lakers have defeated the Denver Nuggets in game five to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. The Lakers had to defeat the Rockets and Trail Blazers before their victory in the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets were expected to give the Lakers a tough series after winning three straight games against the Clippers to advance to the next round. However, the Lakers were too much for the Nuggets to handle. Lebron James had a great performance for the Lakers, finishing the final game with 38 points and 16 rebounds. Also, Anthony Davis had a great game with 27 points. James has made the NBA Finals nine times in the past 10 years, playing for three different teams during those 10 years.
Lebron James made his first appearance in an NBA Finals back in 2007 when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland lost all four games against the Spurs. Not long after, James left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat. He won his first championship with the Heat in 2012 defeating the Spurs and won the following year with the Heat. A few years later he left the Heat to rejoin the team that drafted him, the Cleveland Cavaliers. James went on to defeat the Golden State Warriors in game seven after trailing 3-1. Now Lebron will try to win his fourth championship in his seventeenth season in the league.
Davis is set to play in the finals for the first time in his career. He played most of his career with the Pelicans until he was traded to the Lakers in 2019. However, his first season in Los Angeles didn’t go well as the Lakers finished the season at 37-45 and didn’t make the playoffs. Lebron James battled injuries for most of the season and fell short of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. In their second season together, they were finally able to fulfill their promise to fans and reach the finals. The road to the finals was not easy for the Lakers, they had to overcome many obstacles. One of the biggest challenges was mourning the tragic death of Laker legend Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have done a great job in honoring his memory as they will try to win their seventeenth finals championship.
The finals are set to take place Wed. Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. against the Miami Heat. The Heat are one of the biggest surprises of this year’s playoffs. After sweeping the Pacers in round one, the Heat defeated the number one seed, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in six games. However, they may still have their toughest challenge ahead of them going against the Lakers. The finals are set to have no fans due to COVID-19, but fans are encouraged to watch on television and online to make sure they don’t miss out on this explosive series.
Leave a Reply