With the Los Angeles Lakers advancing to the 2020 NBA Finals at the expense of the defeated Western Conference challengers, the Denver Nuggets, which team might Los Angeles prefer to face coming out of the East?
At this point in the postseason, every remaining team conceivably has a path to beating the others, but as we have seen in several postseason series this season, matchups can make as big of a difference in the Disney restart bubble as they ever have.
A former Boston Celtics claims to have intel on their preference, however.
“Something tells me they want the Miami Heat,” shared former Boston big man Shaquille O’Neal on a recent episode of TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”
Pressed for details, Shaq would not budge, but reaffirmed that the longtime rivals of Boston would prefer not to see their arch-nemesis in the Finals.
“I’m not allowed to give you my sources, but I know they want the Miami Heat,” he doubled down.
Previewing Boston Celtics-Miami Heat Game 5, Eastern Conference Finals https://t.co/H3n8NDS5Ud
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 25, 2020
As much as the Celtics are now the underdog in their current Eastern Conference Finals, they might be the more challenging opponent for the Lakers, so there may be fire to go with O’Neal’s smoke.
But Boston has two games in a row to win, so best to save the serious analysis of such a matchup until the two teams are a lock — should that outcome even happen.
