The Lakers disposed of the Denver Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Finals and their reward is a showdown with the Miami Heat, who also took five games to overcome the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014 which, coincidentally, marked James’ fourth and final season in Florida.
The 35-year-old won his first two NBA titles with the Heat and knows ending the Lakers’ wait for a spot in the NBA Finals will ultimately be meaningless, unless the franchise can clinch a 17th title and he adds a fourth ring to his collection.
“Right now, it don’t mean s*** unless I get it done,” James told reporters when asked about the significance of playing in a 10th NBA Finals in 11 seasons.
“I’ve got to get it done.”
Boasting the league’s third-best overall record behind the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors, the Lakers entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and have lived up to expectations so far, dropping just three games en route to the NBA Finals after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Nuggets 4-1.
Miami has also lost only three games en route to the Finals, but its progress has been far more surprising than the Lakers’. The No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Heat swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before upsetting the No. 1-seeded Bucks in five games and defeating the Celtics 4-2 in the Conference Finals.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of the NBA Finals.
NBA Finals schedule (All times ET)
Game 1—Wednesday, September 30—9 p. m. , ABCGame 2—Friday, October 2—9 p. m. , ABCGame 3—Sunday, October 4—7:30 p. m. , ABCGame 4—Tuesday, October 6—9 p. m. , ABCGame 5*—Friday, October 9—9 p. m. , ABCGame 6*—Sunday, October 11—7:30 p. m. , ABCGame 7*—Tuesday, October 13—9 p. m. , ABC
*If required
NBA Finals TV coverage
ABC will exclusively broadcast every game of the NBA Finals, as it has done since 2003. The primary broadcast team is made up of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson.
NBA Finals live stream
A live stream of the NBA Finals will also be available via fuboTV, YouTube TV and SlingTV.
NBA Finals odds
The Lakers arrive into the NBA Finals as the overwhelming favorites in the eyes of the majority of bookmakers.
The purple and gold are 1/4 favorites with DraftKings and William Hill to win a first NBA title in a decade, while FanDuel and BetMGM both have them at 7/25. The Heat, meanwhile, are 3/1 outsiders with both DraftKings and BetMGM, while FanDuel and William Hill have Miami at 29/10 and 16/5 outsiders respectively.
