Miami Heat vs LA Lakers: 5 key match-ups to look forward to in the NBA Finals 2020
The Miami Heat secured their spot in the 2020 NBA Finals after defeating the Boston Celtics in six games. Jimmy Butler & co. now face the favorites LA Lakers in the best-of-seven series finals.
The Heat have made quite a name for themselves as giant-slayers. Before knocking out the Boston Celtics, they eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in even more emphatic fashion, which means that LeBron James and the LA Lakers do not face an easy task by any stretch of imagination.
On that note, let us take a look at five key match-ups to look forward to in the 2020 NBA Finals.
#5 Andre Iguodala (Miami Heat) vs Markieff Morris (LA Lakers)
Andre Iguodala will be playing in his sixth straight NBA Finals series this season, which is an astonishing achievement in itself.
Iguodala, who won the NBA Finals MVP award in 2015, has been used off the bench by coach Erik Spoelstra to mainly play great defense and guide the youngsters in the team with his experience.
However, in Game 6 against the Celtics, the player showed that he can turn up the heat offensively as well. The veteran made all five of his shot attempts, scoring 15 points in the process.
Markieff Morris has a similar role for the LA Lakers. He uses his experience to help the team off the bench and is tasked with making his shots when found open. He also shows great hustle on the defensive end of the floor.
Whoever between Morris and Iguodala plays better will give their respective franchise a major boost off the bench.
#4 Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) vs Frank Vogel (LA Lakers)
The gameplan the two coaches choose to employ in this series will be extremely key in determining which team wins the 2020 NBA Finals.
Erik Spoelstra has been coaching the Miami Heat for well over a decade now and has already won two championships with the franchise. Frank Vogel, on the other hand, is looking to win the title in just his first season with the LA Lakers.
Erik Spoelstra has proven all over again that the zone defense could work wonders when implemented perfectly. The Miami Heat have hustled hard in defense and followed coach Spoelstra's instructions to the hilt.
With the LA Lakers themselves being extremely well-drilled defensively and possessing some top quality rim protectors, it'll be interesting to see which coach tactically outsmarts the other.
Also Read: NBA Trade Rumors: The dream starting-5 for the LA Lakers going into the 2020-21 season.