The Lakers, who won the Western Conference finals on Saturday — a day before Miami finished off the Eastern Conference crown — were starting to get their game plan in order after a one-day break as well.
Bam Adebayo woke up on Monday with the realization that only two teams still have a chance to win this season’s NBA championship.
Goosebumps kicked in at the thought.
What was once a 22-team bubble at Walt Disney World is down to the final two, with Adebayo and the Miami Heat set to take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that start on Wednesday night. It’s the first finals matchup between the clubs, with the Lakers looking for a record-tying 17th title and the Heat seeking their fourth in the last 15 seasons.
“It’s pretty cool considering, when you really think about it, it’s you and one other team that are still left standing and one of the two will be raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy,” Adebayo said Monday. “But we know that the job isn’t done yet.”
The Heat celebrated into the wee hours of Monday morning before retiring to their rooms for a few hours of sleep.
Adebayo said he enjoyed himself — within reason.
“I had a Shirley Temple,” Adebayo said.
The bubble has been a grind. By Game 4 or so of this series, the Lakers and Heat will have been at Disney for three months. A few players have family or friends there now, but for the most part they’ve been isolated throughout this process.
It was tough mentally. It was tough physically, playing every other day for the most part once the season resumed on July 30. But all the teams have to get through now is one more series.
“We’re super locked in,” Vogel said. “Our group enjoys each other. We’ve been through a lot. Even though we were really assembled this year, not a team that’s been together for multiple years, with everything that we’ve been through our chemistry is strong. And, you know, I think the fact that we enjoy each other away from the basketball court has really helped with the bubble environment and hopefully that will continue for us.”