USA Today via Reuters
Sep 27, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hands the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to forward Bam Adebayo (13) after defeating the Boston Celtics in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 27, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hands the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to forward Bam Adebayo (13) after defeating the Boston Celtics in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals 93-106. In a game in which the Heat was trailing by 28 points at half-time, the Lakers were the better team on their quest to their first championship in 10 years. However, the Miami Heat proved that they are a team to look out for in the coming years. After the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra praised his players and their magical run to the playoffs.
The Miami Heat were the fifth seed coming into the playoffs, and not much was expected from them. Their strong start in the first round came at the expense of the Indiana Pacers, and they swept them 4-0. In the second round, Miami began raising eyebrows by defeating the number one seeded Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 1. Taking on league-MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and winning is not easy. The Eastern Conference Finals saw the Heat playing conference rivals Boston Celtics, whom they defeated 4 games to 2 in a hard-fought series that showed their winning pedigree.
In the NBA Finals, the Heat were tipped to be swept by the Lakers by many analysts, and the more optimistic of the group had predicted a gentlemen’s sweep. However, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers crew saw what the Heat were made of. With Jimmy Butler at the helm, the Heat made the Lakers earn their series victory. And earn it they did, after a hotly contested NBA Finals ending 4 games to 2 in favor of the Lakers.
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Coach Erik Spoelstra emotional about Playoff run
The Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was emotional while addressing the media after the loss. He said:
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“First, congratulations to the Laker org. It was great to share this stage with them…They earned it in this series… This has been such an unprecedented year. We didn’t get the final result we wanted, but these are going to be lifetime memories that we have together. You’re in this business to be able to be around people like this…. A lot of families had to make big time sacrifices to hold down the fort while we’re chasing down our dreams.”
Spoelstra: “This has been such an unprecedented year. We didn’t get the final result we wanted, but these are going to be lifetime memories we have together. You’re in this business to be able to be around people like this."
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) October 12, 2020
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The Heat’s incredible playoff run came to an end in the NBA Finals. But Heat fans have more reason to be optimistic about the future than ever, with a young core and a fantastic leader in Jimmy Butler who proved his mettle in the playoffs.
What did you think of the NBA Finals? Can the Heat return to the NBA Finals next year?
