The two best NBA players in the world might just be on a collision course to meet in the NBA finals. Or are they?
LeBron James and Kevin Durant are arguably the number one and number two best NBA players. For only the second time in both of their illustrious careers, they could meet in the NBA finals. They met in the finals once before when LeBron James was in Cleveland and Kevin Durant helped complete the Big Four in Golden State. In that NBA Finals, Lebron and the Cavaliers made NBA history. They came back from being down three games to one to upset the highly favored Warriors by taking the Championship 4-3 in seven games. Cleveland became the first team to come back from that deficit and win the NBA title.
(Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) 
(AP Photo/Marc Serota)
Other great NBA rivalries
Who can forget the Lakers’ Magic Johnson and the Celtics’ Larry Bird, the Bulls’ Michael Jordan and the Pistons’ Isaiah Thomas, or the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing and the Heat’s Alonzo Mourning? Great players and even greater rivals. That’s what made the NBA and the playoffs so exciting!
How can the 2 best NBA players get it on?
What, if anything, can keep the best NBA players from meeting again? Well, both players are currently injured but designated to return before the playoffs. Also, both players are respectively part of an abundance of talent on their all-star driven teams. However, the two stars and their teams have shown no signs of cohesiveness because they’ve barely played any games together the season.
The Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin and deAndre Jordan, no doubt a super team! But they all haven’t been on the floor together even once this season. Also, the coveted big three of Durant, Harden and Irving have only been on the floor together for a handful of games this season. With no time for continuity, they must literally hit the floor running once the playoffs begin.
The LA Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers, of course, are the defending NBA (bubble) Champions and they have LeBron James as well as Anthony Davis, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, and newly acquired big man Andre Drummond. But they too have not all been on the floor together at the same time this season, so zero continuity there as well.
Will it happen?
Injury has plagued both teams, with the Lakers losing James and Davis to injuries after the All-Star break and and the Nets having Kevin Durant and James Harden land on the injured reserve list a couple of times this season. Already, Durant has come off of the injury-reserved list just to go right back on after only one game. James is on the other side of 30 and definitely can use the rest, but if you’re going to win a title, you want to be at full strength before the playoffs begin so you can have momentum going in.
So if you’re looking forward to the two best NBA players and the two best teams (on paper) in the league getting together in the NBA finals, here’s what you better hope for:
- A health miracle
- Quick cohesiveness on both teams
- Easy first and second round series for the Lakers and the Nets that don’t drain too much energy.
- A little bit of Lady Luck
Having the 2 best NBA players meet for the championship always makes it more exciting. If all the stars align, you might just get lucky enough to witness two of the greatest players in a generation battle it out for NBA supremacy.
*all photos provided by Marc Serota
