| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Dates: | September 30–October 11 | |||||||||
| MVP: | LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals: | Heat defeated Celtics, 4-2 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Lakers defeated Nuggets, 4–1 | |||||||||
| NBA Finals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← 2019 | ||||||||||
| 2021 → | ||||||||||
The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs.
In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in six games, winning their first NBA championship in ten years. It was the franchise's 17th title, tying the Boston Celtics for the most wins in the league's history. LeBron James was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the fourth time in his career. He became the first player in league history to be named Finals MVP with three different franchises.
The Lakers were the No. 1 seed in the West, while the Heat were No. 5 in the East, becoming the third-lowest seed to advance to the Finals. This is the first NBA Finals matchup between the two teams, and the first time that Finals participants had both missed the playoffs in the previous season. The Lakers were also the first team since the 2008 Celtics to win a championship directly after missing the playoffs the previous year. LeBron had previously played with the Heat under head coach Erik Spoelstra winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 in four consecutive Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014, while Heat president Pat Riley was head coach of the "Showtime"-era Lakers from 1981 to 1990 leading them to four NBA titles from seven Finals appearances.
For the first time in six years, the Golden State Warriors were not in the Finals. This is also LeBron James' tenth Finals appearance and sixth consecutive Finals appearance of Andre Iguodala who appeared in the last five Finals with the Warriors. LeBron became the fifth player in NBA history to make a Finals appearance in three different decades.
The Finals were originally scheduled to begin on June 4 and end on June 24, but the season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA and its players later approved a plan to restart the season in late July, setting up the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World to protect teams from the virus. The games were played behind closed doors in the Bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida, with the Finals being played from September 30 through October 11. This year's Finals was the latest to begin (beating the 2012 edition which began on June 12) and the first one played in September and October.
2020 NBA Playoffs[]
| Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion) | Miami Heat (Eastern Conference Champion) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52–19 (.732)
1st Pacific, 1st West, 3rd Overall |
Regular season | 44–29 (.603)
1st Southeast, 5th East, 11th Overall | ||
| Defeated the (8) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–1 | First Round | Defeated the (4) Indiana Pacers, 4–0 | ||
| Defeated the (4) Houston Rockets, 4–1 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (1) Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1 | ||
| Defeated the (3) Denver Nuggets, 4–1 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (3) Boston Celtics, 4–2 | ||
Background[]
Season suspension and restart[]
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On March 11, 2020, the NBA announced the suspension of the 2019–20 season following a report that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 just hours before the Jazz road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On June 4, the NBA Board of Governors approved 29–1 (the Portland Trail Blazers were the lone dissenter) resuming the 2019–20 season at Walt Disney World. The National Basketball Players Association approved the plan a day later. Under the plan, thirteen Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams, which include all clubs within six games of a playoff spot, played eight regular-season "seeding" games. A possible play-in tournament for the eighth seed in each conference would then be held if the ninth seed finished the regular season within four games of the eighth seed (this play-in tournament was used in the Western conference only). The 2020 NBA playoffs were then played as a conventional post-season tournament.
Los Angeles Lakers[]
The Lakers traded for Anthony Davis from New Orleans in the offseason.
The Lakers were coming off of a disappointing season in 2018–19 in which they extended their playoff drought which began in 2014. Their major free agent acquisition, LeBron James, suffered the first major injury in his career, and he missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and missed the Finals for the first since 2010 after eight straight Finals. On the final day of the season, Magic Johnson resigned as president of basketball operations, and head coach Luke Walton and the team mutually agreed to part ways a few days later. During the offseason, general manager Rob Pelinka hired Frank Vogel as the Lakers' new head coach, and he acquired six-time All-Star Power Forward Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-way trade that also included the Washington Wizards. Pelinka was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in January 2020, while still retaining his GM role. Later in the month, legendary former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven others. The Lakers dedicated the season to him.
The Lakers clinched their first playoff berth since the 2012–13 season in March 2020, days before the season was suspended. It ended the longest drought in the franchise's history. After play resumed in the bubble, the Lakers clinched both their first Pacific Division title since 2012 and the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since the 2009–10 season. James and Davis were runner-ups for the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, respectively, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, and both were named to the All-NBA First Team.
The Lakers needed five games each to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers reached the Finals for the first time since 2010, while James was making his ninth trip in 10 seasons.
Miami Heat[]
Jimmy Butler was traded to Miami in the offseason.
During the off-season, the Heat agreed to a four-way trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire NBA All-Star Small Forward Jimmy Butler from the 76ers.
The Heat clinched their first playoff berth since the 2017–18 season on June 4 before the season was resumed on July 30. Before play resumed in the bubble, the Heat clinched their first Southeast Division title since 2017.
The Heat earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after missing the playoffs the previous season.
The Heat swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, upset the first seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and defeated the third seed Boston Celtics in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals to become the first fifth-seeded team in NBA history to reach the Finals.
Series summary[]
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | September 30 | Los Angeles | 116–98 | Miami |
| Game 2 | October 2 | Los Angeles | 124–114 | Miami |
| Game 3 | October 4 | Miami | 115–104 | Los Angeles |
| Game 4 | October 6 | Miami | 96-102 | Los Angeles |
| Game 5 | October 9 | Los Angeles | 108-111 | Miami |
| Game 6 | October 11 | Miami | 93-106 | Los Angeles |
Game 1[]
| September 30 9:00 pm |
Box score | Miami Heat 98, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: Marc Davis, Kane Fitzgerald, Josh Tiven |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 20–34, 19–28, 31–23 | |||||||
| Pts: Jimmy Butler 23 Rebs: Olynyk, Iguodala, Nunn 5 each Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 |
Pts: Anthony Davis 34 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 9 | ||||||
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | |||||||
The Lakers' Anthony Davis had 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists in his first Finals game, and LeBron James added a near triple double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to lead Los Angeles to a 116–98 win over Miami.[1] The Heat led 23–10 in the middle of the first quarter before the Lakers outscored them 55–25 to lead by 17 at halftime.[1][2] The Lakers expanded their lead to as high as 32 points in the third quarter. They made 13 of their first 20 three-point field goals in the game before cooling off and missing 16 of their last 18.[1]
Miami's Jimmy Butler twisted his left ankle before the end of the first half, but he remained in the game and finished with 23 points.[2] Heat guard Goran Dragić did not play in the second half due to a foot injury.[1] Miami center Bam Adebayo also did not finish the game after exiting in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.[1][2] Dwight Howard remained as the Lakers' starting center after he moved into the starting lineup for the last few games of the conference finals against Denver.[3]
Game 2[]
| October 2 9:00 pm |
Box score | Miami Heat 114, Los Angeles Lakers 124 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: James Capers, David Guthrie, Eric Lewis |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 31–39, 39–35, 21–21 | |||||||
| Pts: Jimmy Butler 25 Rebs: Kelly Olynyk 9 Asts: Jimmy Butler 13 |
Pts: LeBron James 33 Rebs: Anthony Davis 14 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 | ||||||
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | |||||||
James scored 33 points and Davis added 32, leading the Lakers to a 2–0 series lead with a 124–114 win over the Heat. James and Davis were the first Lakers teammates to score 30 points in a Finals game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in Game 3 of the 2002 NBA Finals.[4] The team shot 51% for the game and made 22 of their first 25 two-point field goals, including a stretch of 16 straight towards the end of the first period through late in the third.[4][5] Davis made 14 of his first 15 shots.[4] Miami played short-handed without their injured starters Adebayo (neck and left shoulder) and Dragić (torn left plantar fascia).[5]
The Lakers led by six points after the first quarter even though they made just three of 12 three-point attempts.[4] Trailing by 14 at the half, the Heat scored 39 points in the third period but still were down 10 entering the fourth.[5] They never got closer than 10 in the final period.[4] Rajon Rondo had 16 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma also added 11 for the Lakers.[5] The Lakers made 16 out of a season-high 47 three-pointers.[5] Their starters made just seven of 28 with Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green combining to make three of 19. The team made 66% of its two-point attempts.[4]
Miami was led by Butler with 25 points and Kelly Olynyk with 24 off the bench.[4] Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard replaced Dragić and Adebayo in the starting lineup. Herro became the youngest player to start an NBA Finals game at 20 years, 256 days. He was eight days younger than Magic Johnson was when he started Game 1 for the Lakers in 1980 against the Philadelphia 76ers.[5]
Game 3[]
| October 4 7:30 pm |
Box score | Los Angeles Lakers 104, Miami Heat 115 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Pat Fraher |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 31–32, 26–27, 24–30 | |||||||
| Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Jimmy Butler 40 Rebs: Jimmy Butler 11 Asts: Jimmy Butler 13 | ||||||
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | |||||||
Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for a triple-double to lead Miami to a 115–104 win as Heat starters Adebayo and Dragić remained sidelined.[6] Miami led for most of the game.[7] At multiple points, they looked to be taking control of the game, but the Lakers would answer. The Heat led by 13 in the first quarter before the Lakers rallied to take the lead five minutes later. Miami began the second half with a 10–0 run to lead by 14, but Los Angeles responded with eight straight points. The Heat were up 12 late in the third quarter before the Lakers outscored them 20–6 to regain the lead 91–89 with 8:55 remaining in the game.[6] However, the Heat outscored the Lakers 26–13 to finish the game and cut the Lakers' lead to 2–1.[8]
Butler became the third player in Finals history to record a 40+ point triple-double, joining James (then with the Cleveland Cavaliers) in 2015 and Jerry West with the Lakers in 1969.[9] Butler also became the first player to have more points, rebounds and assists in a Finals game than James, who finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Davis, who was in foul trouble early, was held to just 15 points and five rebounds.[7] The Lakers committed 20 turnovers, which led to 21 points for the Heat.[7] Los Angeles had 10 turnovers in the first quarter, the most of any team in the league during the season in the first period,[6] including eight combined by James and Davis, who ended the game with eight and five turnovers, respectively.[7] Herro and Olynyk both scored 17 points for Miami, while Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris both had 19 points off the bench for the Lakers. Miami's starters outscored the Lakers' starters 89–51.[6]
Game 4[]
| October 6 9:00 pm |
Box score | Los Angeles Lakers 102, Miami Heat 96 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: Zach Zarba, John Goble, Tony Brown |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 22–25, 26–23, 27–26 | |||||||
| Pts: LeBron James 28 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Jimmy Butler 22 Rebs: Jimmy Butler 10 Asts: Jimmy Butler 9 | ||||||
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | |||||||
Davis made a 3-pointer with 39.5 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a nine-point lead and securing the game en route to a 102–96 win and a 3–1 lead over the Heat.[10] James had 28 points, eight assists and 12 rebounds, while Davis finished with 22 points, four assists and nine rebounds. Los Angeles was sloppy again with nine first-half turnovers, including five by James alone.[11] With 8:18 remaining in the third quarter, James made a 3-pointer which put the Lakers ahead 55–54. The Lakers did not trail for the final 20 minutes, though Miami would remain close throughout.[10][11] With 3:05 left in the game, Butler shot a corner 3-pointer that rimmed out which would have given the Heat the lead. Seven seconds later, Caldwell-Pope made a corner 3 to give the Lakers a 93–88 lead. Miami then committed a shot-clock violation, and Caldwell-Pope drove for a basket for a seven-point lead.[10]
Caldwell-Pope contributed 15 points and Green scored 10 for the Lakers.[10] Butler ended with 22 points, nine assists and 10 rebounds for the Heat. He made his first five shots for 11 points in the first quarter but did not make another field goal until the fourth quarter while being guarded by Davis and James.[11] Herro had 21 points, Duncan Robinson scored 17 and Adebayo added 15 for the Heat after missing two games.[10]
Game 5[]
| October 9 9:00 pm |
Box score | Miami Heat 111, Los Angeles Lakers 108 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: Marc Davis, Kane Fitzgerald, Eric Lewis |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 35–32, 28–26, 23–26 | |||||||
| Pts: Jimmy Butler 35 Rebs: Jimmy Butler 12 Asts: Jimmy Butler 11 |
Pts: LeBron James 40 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 7 | ||||||
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 | |||||||
Butler had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Miami to a 111–108 win and stave off elimination, bringing the series to 3–2. The Heat weathered a dominant performance by James, who ended with 40 points on just 21 shots, 13 rebounds and seven assists.[12] With the Lakers down by one and 18.8 seconds remaining in the game, James drove into the paint, where he was surrounded by Butler and Robinson with a third defender also approaching. James passed to a wide-open Green at the top of the key, but Green missed a 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left.[13] Morris got the offensive rebound, pump-faked, but then threw the ball out of bounds with 2.2 seconds remaining in an attempt to get the ball to Davis under the basket.[13][14]
With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, Davis was kicked by Miami's Andre Iguodala in his right heel, which aggravated a contusion he received in the conference finals. After lying on the floor for minutes, Davis exited the game and began the second quarter on the bench, which helped the Heat amass a 11-point lead. The Lakers drew close to make it 60–56 at the half. Caldwell-Pope, who scored 16 points, made a 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead in the fourth quarter.[13] With 3:13 remaining, Robinson made a three-pointer to give the Heat a two-point lead, which began a run of either a tie or a lead change on the game's next nine scoring possessions,[15] including six straight where James and Butler traded scores.[16]
Robinson ended with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers, which broke Gary Neal's record set in 2013 for most 3's by an undrafted player in the Finals.[17] Butler was exhausted towards the end, having rested just 48 seconds all game while also guarding James and sometimes Davis on defense.[18] He became the second player with multiple 30-point triple-doubles in the same Finals series, joining James in 2015.[17] Butler was the sixth player with multiple triple-doubles in the same Finals series along with James, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Draymond Green.[15] He also became the first with 35 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in a Finals game, and he was just the second NBA player to reach those marks in the playoffs, joining Gary Payton in 2000.[17] Davis scored 28 points and added 12 rebounds for the Lakers.[13] By the end of the game, he was noticeably limping after another tumble around the basket.[14][18] He and James scored 68 of the team's 108 points.[12] They combined to shoot 24 for 36, while the other Lakers were 14 for 46.[15]
Game 6[]
| October 11 7:30 pm |
Box score | Los Angeles Lakers 106, Miami Heat 93 | AdventHealth Arena, Bay Lake, Florida Referees: James Capers, Tony Brothers, David Guthrie |
ABC | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 36–16, 23–22, 19–35 | |||||||
| Pts: LeBron James 28 Rebs: Anthony Davis 15 Asts: LeBron James 10 |
Pts: Bam Adebayo 25 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 10 Asts: Jimmy Butler 8 | ||||||
| Los Angeles wins the series, 4–2 | |||||||
James had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Lakers to a 106–93 win for their 17th league championship in franchise history and first since 2010. James was named the Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career.[19] Winning the fourth championship of his career,[19] he became the only player in NBA history to have been named Finals MVP with three different franchises. He won the award in a unanimous 11–0 vote.[20]
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel decided to start with a smaller, quicker lineup, inserting guard Alex Caruso for Howard and moving Davis to center.[21] Los Angeles never trailed in the game and ended the first quarter ahead 28–20.[22] They outscored Miami 36–16 in the second period and led by as many as 30 points in the first half.[21] The Lakers' 64–36 halftime lead was the second-largest margin at halftime in Finals history, behind a 30-point lead by the Boston Celtics over the Lakers in Game 1 in 1985.[22] The Lakers also became the first NBA team to be undefeated in a season when leading entering the fourth quarter, going a combined 57–0 in the regular season and playoffs.[21]
Davis had 19 points and 15 rebounds. Adebayo led Miami with 25 points and 10 rebounds.[22] Butler was held to only 12 points,[21] but added eight assists and seven rebounds. Dragić, who returned from his Game 1 injury, had five points off the bench on 2-of-8 shooting along with five rebounds in 19 minutes.[22]
James ended the series averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.[20] He and Davis became the first teammates in NBA history to both average 25 points and shoot 50% from the field in the same postseason.[23] Butler became only the second player in a Finals series to lead his team outright in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, joining James in 2016 with the Cavaliers.[22]
With the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series later in the month, Los Angeles repeated its achievement of having NBA and World Series champions in the same year, as both the Lakers and Dodgers had won in 1988.
Rosters[]
Los Angeles Lakers[]
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|
Roster |
Injured
Miami Heat[]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Roster |
Player statistics[]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 6 | 6 | 39.4 | .591 | .417 | .667 | 11.8 | 8.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 29.8 |
| Anthony Davis | 6 | 6 | 38.2 | .571 | .421 | .938 | 10.7 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 25.0 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 6 | 6 | 31.3 | .377 | .302 | .857 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 12.8 |
| Rajon Rondo | 6 | 0 | 26.0 | .388 | .333 | .875 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 8.7 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 6 | 0 | 21.6 | .354 | .310 | .800 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 8.5 |
| Danny Green | 6 | 6 | 22.9 | .327 | .289 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 7.5 |
| Markieff Morris | 6 | 0 | 21.3 | .368 | .400 | .833 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Alex Caruso | 6 | 1 | 24.9 | .433 | .375 | .750 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
| Dwight Howard | 6 | 5 | 11.8 | .750 | 1.000 | .571 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.8 |
| Quinn Cook | 2 | 0 | 1.4 | .500 | .500 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| J.R. Smith | 3 | 0 | 3.4 | .333 | .333 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Jared Dudley | 3 | 0 | 0.9 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Butler | 6 | 6 | 43.0 | .552 | .308 | .887 | 8.3 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 26.2 |
| Bam Adebayo | 4 | 4 | 33.7 | .535 | .000 | .625 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 15.3 |
| Tyler Herro | 6 | 5 | 34.6 | .368 | .367 | .813 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 14.7 |
| Duncan Robinson | 6 | 6 | 32.0 | .404 | .391 | 1.000 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 12.5 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 5 | 0 | 22.7 | .488 | .412 | .846 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 11.6 |
| Jae Crowder | 6 | 6 | 31.5 | .418 | .333 | .800 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 11.2 |
| Kendrick Nunn | 6 | 0 | 22.6 | .471 | .391 | 1.000 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 10.5 |
| Meyers Leonard | 2 | 2 | 11.0 | .833 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.0 |
| Goran Dragić | 2 | 1 | 16.9 | .313 | .000 | .500 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| Andre Iguodala | 6 | 0 | 19.7 | .421 | .375 | .000 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.2 |
| Solomon Hill | 4 | 0 | 6.3 | .556 | .333 | .000 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 4 | 0 | 2.5 | .500 | .000 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Sponsorship[]
As part of a multiyear partnership that began in 2018, the internet television service YouTube TV was the presenting sponsor of the series. The 2020 NBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV logo was prominently displayed at center court, with "Black Lives Matter" text featured above the midcourt logo (as it had been since the start of the NBA Bubble as part of the league and players' activism in response to the George Floyd protests), while Walt Disney World script logos were placed outside opposing lane lines on each side.
Media coverage[]
In the United States, the Finals were televised by ABC in English and ESPN Deportes in Spanish.
Like before, Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson served as commentators on ABC, with Rachel Nichols on the sideline. After spending the past 11 Finals as a sideline reporter on television, Doris Burke joined the ESPN Radio commentary team, which included Marc Kestecher and Jon Barry, making her first woman to call the NBA Finals on the radio.
Game 5 of the Finals was the first NBA game to be aired on China Central Television (CCTV) in China since the disagreement between the NBA and that country over the Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweet in support of the Hong Kong anti-government protesters. NBA games had remained available for streaming on Tencent.
Viewership[]
The 2020 NBA Finals continued the trend of declining viewership, with 7.41 million people watching Game 1, making it the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record (tracking viewership started in 1988). It aired opposite two Major League Baseball playoff games. The drop followed the shift in other sporting events rescheduled from their traditional times of year, such as the Stanley Cup Finals, the Kentucky Derby, the U.S. Open, and the Indianapolis 500. The viewership further declined to a new record low of 6.609 million for Game 2. Despite the lows, both Game 1 and Game 2 were the most watched program for their respective days. Game 3, which aired opposite NBC's Sunday Night Football coverage, had its viewership continue to decrease to a new record low of approximately 5.94 million.
| Game | Ratings (households) |
American audience (in millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.1 | 7.41 |
| 2 | 3.6 | 6.61 |
| 3 | 3.1 | 5.94 |
| 4 | 4.4 | 7.54 |
| 5 | 4.8 | 8.89 |
| 6 | 4.2 | 8.29 |
| Avg. | 4.0 | 7.45 |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ganguli, Tania (September 30, 2020). "Anthony Davis, LeBron James lead Lakers to dominating win over Heat in NBA Finals opener". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-09-30/anthony-davis-lebron-james-lead-lakers-to-dominating-win-over-heat-in-nba-finals-opener.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Lakers, LeBron roll in Game 1 of finals, top Heat 116–98". Associated Press. September 30, 2020. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401248433.
- ↑ García Gundersen, Erik (September 30, 2020). "NBA Finals: Dwight Howard starts at center for Lakers in Game 1 vs. Heat". USA Today. https://lebronwire.usatoday.com/2020/09/30/nba-finals-dwight-howard-starts-at-center-for-lakers-in-game-1-vs-heat/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Ganguli, Tania (October 2, 2020). "Lakers defeat the Miami Heat in Game 2 of NBA Finals to take 2–0 series lead". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-10-02/lakers-defeat-miami-heat-game-2-nba-finals-playoffs.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Halfway home: Lakers top Heat 124–114 for 2–0 Finals lead". Associated Press. October 2, 2020. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401248434.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Butler's big night helps Heat cut Lakers' Finals lead to 2–1". Associated Press. October 4, 2020. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401248435.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Ganguli, Tania (October 4, 2020). "Jimmy Butler makes it a series: Heat beat Lakers in Game 3". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-10-04/jimmy-butler-makes-it-a-series-heat-beat-lakers-in-game-3.
- ↑ McMenamin, Dave (October 5, 2020). "LeBron James says Los Angeles Lakers 'not concerned' after Game 3 loss to short-handed Miami Heat". https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30043765/lebron-james-says-los-angeles-lakers-not-concerned-game-3-loss-short-handed-miami-heat.
- ↑ "Jimmy Butler logs 3rd 40-point triple-double in NBA Finals history". NBA.com. October 4, 2020. https://www.nba.com/article/2020/10/04/jimmy-butler-triple-double-finals.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Lakers top Heat 102–96, take 3–1 lead in NBA Finals". Associated Press. October 6, 2020. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401248436.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Ganguli, Tania (October 6, 2020). "Lakers find a way to hold off Heat to take 3–1 NBA Finals series lead". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-10-06/lakers-find-a-way-to-hold-off-heat-and-take-3-1-nba-finals-series-lead.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Deb, Sopan; Stein, Marc (October 9, 2020). "The Miami Heat Hold on to Beat the Lakers in Game 5". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/sports/basketball/lakers-heat-live-score-game-5.html.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Ganguli, Tania (October 9, 2020). "LeBron James gives his all, but Lakers can't finish Jimmy Butler and Heat in Game 5". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-10-09/lakers-heat-game-5-nba-finals-lebron-james-jimmy-butler.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Oram, Bill (October 10, 2020). "Lakers' title celebration on hold after coming up short in LeBron-Butler duel". The Athletic. https://theathletic.com/2129088/2020/10/10/nba-finals-lakers-title-celebration-on-hold-after-coming-up-short-in-lebron-james-jimmy-butler-duel/?source=user_shared_article. "The rebound off the front of the rim bounced right to Markieff Morris, who pump-faked and, in a moment of apparent panic, threw the ball out of bounds ... His effort to sneak the ball to Davis under the basket yielded nothing other than the Lakers’ 15th turnover with just 2.2 seconds to play."
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Heat force Game 6, top Lakers to stave off elimination". Associated Press. October 9, 2020. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401248437.
- ↑ Windhorst, Brian (October 10, 2020). "NBA Finals: LeBron James vs. Jimmy Butler is touching history". https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30082028/nba-finals-lebron-james-vs-jimmy-butler-touching-history.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Martin, Brian (October 10, 2020). "Inside The Box Score: 2020 NBA Finals, Game 5". https://stats.nba.com/articles/inside-the-box-score-2020-nba-finals-game-5/.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Devine, Dan (October 10, 2020). "Jimmy Butler Empties the Tank to Stave Off LeBron and Elimination". The Ringer. https://www.theringer.com/2020/10/10/21510391/jimmy-butler-heat-lakers-nba-finals.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Cacciola, Scott (October 11, 2020). "The Lakers' Winding Path Ends With a Championship". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/sports/basketball/lakers-nba-title.html.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "LeBron James makes history, wins Finals MVP with 3 different franchises". October 11, 2020. http://www.nba.com/lebron-james-history-finals-mvps-3-nba-franchises.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmcmenamin_10112020 - ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Winderman, Ira (October 11, 2020). "Heat end NBA Finals with thud, fall 106–93 as Lakers claim title in Game 6". South Florida Sun Sentinel. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/fl-sp-miami-heat-nba-finals-game-6-20201012-kyxehsxs4ne5xb6hr46lqddbea-story.html.
- ↑ McMenamin, Dave; Andrews, Malika (October 13, 2020). "NBA Finals: The scenes of a Lakers title celebration like no other". https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30081042/nba-finals-scenes-lakers-title-celebration-no-other.
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