The longest season in NBA history is finally over after nearly an entire calendar year.  The teams that played in the finals this year were the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Miami Heat were the clear underdogs in this series.  They were the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and no one expected them to make it this far.  They made it with the help of their star players, including Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adeybayo.  The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, were known throughout the season to be one of the best teams in the league.  They got to the Finals with two amazing players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.  These two players are known to be among the best in the league.  

“LeBron James is the best player in the world, and Anthony Davis is right behind him.  It’s scary seeing both of them on the same team,” said freshman Jack Chainani.

The first game of the series started out with a 18 point blowout by the Lakers..  The Heat had really nothing going for them that game and it seemed as if it would be an easy series for the Lakers.  The Lakers had most of their production from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who combined for 59 points and 22 rebounds.  The Heat had an off night as one of the best shooters in the league, Duncan Robinson, was held to 0 points.

The second game was the same story as the Lakers won by 10 points.  Again, it appeared that LeBron and Davis were carrying their team to a title.  They had 65 points together and accounted for 52% of their team’s points.  Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro played well that game, but it just wasn’t enough. 

The Lakers seemed to have all the momentum going into the next game, but that shifted when the Heat took them by surprise and won by nine points.  Jimmy Butler was a man on a mission in this game and recorded a triple double with 40 points.  

“I remember before the game Jimmy had said that there was no chance they were going to lose that game, and I knew then that they were going to win this one,” said senior Ryan Barry.  

LeBron James had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but Anthony Davis didn’t provide enough help with only 15 points, which is not his usual standard. 

Both teams knew that game four could very well decide the outcome of the series.  If the Lakers won game four, they would be one game away from winning the Finals.  On the other hand, if the Heat won game four, the series would be tied and they would have all the momentum going forward.  

This game was a tough one for the Heat, as they lost by only six points.  Jimmy Butler almost recorded another triple double, along with his 22 points.  All the stars on their team played well, with Tyler Herro getting 21 points, Bam Adeybayo with 15, and Duncan Robinson with 17.  But the problem seemed to be with the rest of their team, as they only got 22 points all together.  LeBron James had a stellar performance with 28 points and 12 rebounds.  Anthony Davis pitched in with 22 points and nine rebounds. 

Game 5 was an instant classic.  This was a back and forth contest between both teams.  Jimmy Butler recorded another triple double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.  It went down to the wire; LeBron recorded 40 points, but the Heat wouldn’t let him take the last shot, and a missed three by Danny Green cost them the game.  The Heat won 111-108, and Jimmy Butler was seen after the game limping from how hard he had played that night.  It was starting to look like the Heat were on the verge of a comeback.

The Lakers made it look easy in game 6, and it looked like the Heat didn’t have anything left in them.  LeBron recorded a triple double and they easily won by 13 (leading by 29 at the start of the fourth quarter).  The Lakers won their 17th NBA Championship, tying the Boston Celtics for most all-time victories.

The Finals MVP went to LeBron James.  This was a clear choice.  

“I think everyone knew LeBron was going to win it.  He played amazing the entire season and played even better in this series,” said freshman Joe Braunshweiger. 

James recorded multiple triple doubles, along with a 40 point game.  With the help of Anthony Davis, they were doing nearly everything for their team.  Almost everyone expected this award to go to LeBron, and they were proven right. 

It looks like the Lakers will be back to the Finals again next season.  They are clearly the best team in the league as of right now, and it’s unclear who can stop them.  They have two amazing players, Lebron James and Anthony Davis, and have all the momentum going into next year.  On the flip side, teams who lose in the Finals often have worse seasons the year after.  The Heat didn’t have high expectations going into the playoffs and came just short of the title.  There are reports of them potentially going after Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league MVP.  They clearly want to be back next year and are trying to get all the pieces to do it.

This was a great series, and it had the outcome many were expecting.  Both teams are looking forward to next season and hoping to come back and claim the trophy that declares them the best team in the league.