At 35, LeBron James could win a fourth championship in the NBA and the flavor of a new title could be very special if the Los Angeles Lakers triumph over the Miami Heat.
It should be remembered that James sowed consternation in Miami when he decided to leave the team in 2014 to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The president of the Heat, Pat Riley, who is still with the Florida formation, had particularly badly digested. James had yet obtained his first two conquests in Miami, in 2012 and 2013. Erik Spoelstra, still at the helm of the Heat, was already the club’s coach at the time.
Since leaving the Heat, James has reached the NBA Finals on a regular basis, but has only added one other championship, in 2016, in Cleveland. This means that he is certainly not satisfied.
“Experience is important, but that’s not all,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said in a video conference on Monday. The guys on this team are hungry whether or not they’ve been in the final before. They have that desire and the ability to perform at a level to become champion. ”
Vogel then inevitably spoke of “King James”, who finds himself in the final for the ninth time in 10 years, but also of several other players of the Lakers. At this level, Los Angeles relies in particular on Danny Green, champion last year with the Toronto Raptors, but also in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs. Note: Green and his teammates had actually defeated James and the Heat in the final that year.
The player par excellence?
As well as toppling President Riley and the Heat to add a fourth championship to his record, James has the opportunity to make history in a number of ways in this duel that begins on Wednesday. Should a triumph be crowned for him of the title of MVP of the playoffs, the one nicknamed “The Chosen One” could be the first athlete in the NBA to obtain this distinction with three different teams. According to the progress of the final, his teammate Anthony Davis may however be preferred to him among the Lakers.
Overall it’s worth noting that the Lakers, by winning a 17th championship, would join the Boston Celtics atop the most decorated teams in NBA history.
– In the 2019-2020 regular season, the Lakers won both games against the Heat.
