NBA: Heat, Lakers face off in 2020 Finals

ANKARA

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat will face off in the NBA Finals for the first time, with Game 1 taking place on Wednesday.

The Lakers advanced to their first NBA Finals in 10 years while the Heat will appear in the finals for the first time since 2014.

The fifth seed Miami Heat swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round with 4-0, knocked out the number one seed Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals with 4-1 and moved to the NBA finals after closing out the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Eastern finals.

The top-seeded Lakers knocked out the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round with 4-1, as they headed to the NBA Finals after eliminating the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets with 4-1 series results, respectively.

The Lakers have won 16 championships in the history of the NBA, trailing only to Boston Celtics (17), while the Heat will play for their fourth NBA title.

Lakers' leaders

The Lakers had a strong regular season throughout the year, finished with 52 wins and 19 losses, topping the Western Conference.

During the regular season, Anthony Davis led the team in scoring with 26.1 points per game, while LeBron James had another impressive year with 25.3 points per game and led the league in assists per game with 10.2.

James will be in the finals for the 10th time in his career as he won back-to-back championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013.

James averaged 25 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds while another Lakers star, Anthony Davis, played with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the playoffs this season.

Heat's difficult path

The Miami Heat, on the other hand, had a different path in the regular season, they finished with 44 wins and 29 losses, good enough for 5th spot in the East.

Jimmy Butler was the high scorer for his team, he finished with 19.9 points per game in the regular season, while seven other Miami Heat players scored in double digits throughout the season.

Butler was also the high assist man in his team, he averaged a team-high 6.0 assists, Bam Adebayo was the high rebounder for his team, he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game.

Heat guard Goran Dragic and Butler helped the Heat reach the Finals by averaging 20 points each in the playoffs.