Lakers vs. Heat: Complete NBA Finals preview coverage
The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since Kobe Bryant led the franchise to its 16th title. Los Angeles Times sportswriters Tania Ganguli, Broderick Turner and Dan Woike discuss the Lakers’ chances to bring home the championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers play the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals beginning Wednesday night. Here is the L.A. Times’ preview coverage.
- 1
L.A. Times reporters and columnists pick who they think will win the NBA championship this season.
- 2
A look at how the top-seeded Lakers from the Western Conference and fifth-seeded Miami Heat from the Eastern Conference match up in the NBA Finals.
- 3
While the Lakers have dedicated this postseason to Bryant, many think of him daily for other reasons, particularly when they put on a pair of his Nikes.
- 4
LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami when he was 25, and it was there that he learned to become a champion. Now he faces the Heat with an NBA title on the line.
- 5
- 6
The Lakers and Miami Heat have been interconnected over the years with Pat Riley, who has won NBA championships coaching both teams.
- 7
Coach Erik Spoelstra has thrived through a turbulent season to bring the Heat to the NBA Finals. LeBron James and Miami players know why he deserves respect.
- 8
Jimmy Butler might not have been a good fit for the Lakers or Clippers in the free-agent search of 2019, but he has found a home in Miami with win-first attitude.
- 9
Coach Frank Vogel says the Lakers’ bond on and off the court helps them stay focused on winning an NBA title despite the downfalls of life in the bubble.
- 10
Lakers star LeBron James will face his former team and Heat president Pat Riley will take on the club he coached to some of their biggest wins in the NBA Finals.
- 11
Although Frank Vogel wasn’t the Lakers’ first or second choice for head coach, he proved to be the right choice, writes columnist Helene Elliott.
- 12
When Anthony Davis joined LeBron James and the Lakers, there was only one goal: an NBA championship. They have been in lockstep during that pursuit.