Conference Finals Approaching

 

A playoff year that I was worried would end up disappointing has turned into one of the most thrilling in recent memory. This year was always considered more or less "wide open" in terms of who had a shot at the trophy. But I don't think anyone was expecting the doors to be blown off the hinges quite to this extent.

As I type this, the #8 seed Heat are up 3-1 against the Knicks and are one quarter and a 10-point deficit away from closing things out in Madison Square Garden. The Lakers are up 3-1 against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. The 76ers are up 3-2 against the defending Eastern Conference Champ Boston. The Bucks lost in the first round. The Nuggets are on the brink of knocking out Kevin Durant. Luka Legend didn't even make the playoffs.

The excitement is pretty palpable at this point. I'm a LeBron fan and I predicted the Heat to win it all, so both of those situations playing out are pretty exciting. The shadow looming over the whole thing is the fact that the Cavs lost in the first round. It was not their year, but hopefully it will be a valuable learning experience. 

To me, the most fun result would be a Lakers vs Heat Finals. LeBron and AD vs Butler, Adebayo, and Spoelstra (at least those are the names I'm most interested in). The Lakers would have the edge in playoff experience (thanks, LeBron), defense (AD), and depth (role players have stepped up in a huge way). The Heat would have the edge with the best overall player (Butler), best coaching (Spoelstra), and best team dynamics. I think it would be a great show and a close series - honestly, I would kind of hate to see either team lose. Jimmy Butler really deserves a ring at this point, and this very same matchup already came up in 2020, with LeBron finishing on top. On the other had, LeBron "only" has four rings and is constantly underrated because of it in the all-time legend conversations. A fifth title, especially if LeBron steps up his play in the Finals, would be an absolutely stunning cap to his resume: winning his fifth championship (same as Kobe) in the season he breaks the scoring record.

I think and hope that the Heat find a way to win it all this season, however it plays out. What a story it would be - the 8 seed that went all the way.