The 2020 NBA Finals gives basketball fans such as myself a chance to rejoice as months ago, there was uncertainty with whether the NBA season would continue or even have a champion this year. In this year’s championship series, the Los Angeles Lakers face off with the Miami Heat as Lakers’ player LeBron James looks to capture his fourth NBA title.
The 2020 NBA season was postponed in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert contracted the virus. From then on, it seemed as though all hopes were lost for the continuation of the season but then a solution came around.
The NBA was able to create a bubble in Orlando, Florida where teams were able to come to Orlando to finish out their season. The bubble format has allowed the NBA playoffs to strive and offer the chance for fans to enjoy NBA action during the pandemic. Zac Claus, University of Idaho men’s basketball head coach, shared his opinions on the bubble format.
“I think it’s amazing what the NBA has been able to do with the fact that they were able to take 22 teams down there somewhere in the neighborhood of three months, and the fact that they have kept positive tests away, that they’ve been able to play at a high level of basketball, and that they’ve made all this work is astounding,” Claus said. “Those players, coaches and franchises deserve a great deal of credit for making this work.”
Now as we reach the climax of the NBA playoffs, the Heat and Lakers are fighting for the NBA title. In the series so far, the Lakers lead the Heat 2-1 as LeBron James and Lakers’ forward Anthony Davis look to increase their lead in the series to 3-1 as they play in game four.
My prediction is that the Lakers will win out and become NBA champions since I see James capturing his fourth NBA title. Since they want to win the title for Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant, I cannot see the Lakers falling short of winning this season.
A major thing to look into the NBA Finals this year is how much the ratings have been affected. The NBA Finals rating record hit its record low in game three as it averaged a 3.1 rating and 5.94 million viewers. An explanation for this could be that the game was played on Sunday where many sports fans were tuning in to watch the NFL games instead of watching the NBA Finals.
It could also be said that the NBA Finals took a hit this season as many fans expected to see the Boston Celtics face off against the Lakers. The Celtics were expected to beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals by many fans and another Lakers versus Celtics NBA Finals would continue their historic rivalry.
It’s mainly speculation why the NBA Finals’ ratings are low, but it’s still enjoyable to see championship games played this year.
Armin Mesinoviccan be reached [email protected] on Twitter @arminmesinovic.