Miami Heat vs LA Lakers: 5 factors that could decide the outcome of the 2020 NBA Finals
The 2020 NBA Finals matchup has finally been decided, with the LeBron James-led LA Lakers to take on the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in the Orlando Bubble.
The Lakers are the overwhelming favorites going into the first game of the series, but the Heat are not a team that will go down easily. It's all perfectly set up for a mouth-watering NBA Finals 2020.
On that note, here are five factors that could decide the outcome of the 2020 NBA Finals series between Miami Heat and the LA Lakers.
#1 NBA Finals 2020: LeBron James' performances for the LA Lakers
It may be an obvious statement to make, but Lebron James will be absolutely pivotal to the outcome of this series.
James has been consistently outstanding for the LA Lakers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, putting in amazing performances every night. It could even be said that the team is more dependent on him than anybody else, something that could prove to be a serious problem against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals 2020.
The Miami Heat have shown the ability to completely lock down some of the best players in the NBA, which include the likes of Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If the team could find a way to shut down LeBron James in a similar way, we could see the LA Lakers crumble before our very eyes, and that could effectively decide the series in the Miami Heat's favor.
However, LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA for a reason, which means that his former team will have their task cut out.
#2 NBA Finals 2020: The Miami Heat's outside shooting
The Miami Heat's offense largely relies on the team making their 3s to spread the floor. If the franchise wishes to win the NBA Finals 2020, they will need their shooters to be firing on all cylinders.
That's because the LA Lakers have one of the best interior defenses in the league, which means that if the Miami Heat's outside shot collapses, the entire team could follow suit.
The likes of Duncan Robinson, Jae Crowder and Goran Dragic have done well up to this point for the Miami Heat but will have to perform at their best against the LA Lakers. An off-night for any of these three players could mean that the Heat could be cannon fodder for the Lakers.