The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here. The NBA Finals are upon us, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers ready to face off vs. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Oddsmakers believe the Lakers are huge favorites to win their 17th title in franchise history after a somewhat easy road to the NBA Finals. However, Miami Heat were also quite dominant en route to this stage.
The purple-and-gold feature the most imponent duo in the world right now plus they have a lot of history on their side. However, Chicago Bulls' legend Scottie Pippen doesn't think they should be favored over Miami, a team that's about to make its 6th appearance in the Finals.
Scottie Pippen Believes The Heat Have The Edge Over The Lakers
“I think it’s going to be a great series. To me, Miami has a little bit of the edge. I think people are overlooking how well they’ve played and their style of play,” Scottie Pippen told Forbes ahead of the NBA Finals.
Scottie Pippen Says LeBron James Still Has To Prove He Can Lead On His Own
Moreover, the 6-time NBA Champion fired quite a hot take, as he claimed that LeBron James - who's in his 17th year and has won multiple rings already - still needs to prove that he's capable of leading on his own:
“I give a lot of credit to the way the Lakers have played defensively but I think Miami is ready for the challenge. They have players that are playing with a lot of confidence right now. I don’t take nothing away from the Lakers and LeBron going to his 10th Finals. He still has to prove he can lead a team himself. I think Anthony Davis has shown he’s more valuable to them on the offensive end but I think Miami has more offensive weapons they’ll be able to throw at LA," Pippen concluded.
We're talking about a guy who's made more NBA Finals than 90% of the existing franchises and that has set countless milestones and records throughout his career. The Miami Heat are a strong, hard-nosed team that could end up winning this series, that goes without saying, but to claim that James still has something to prove at this point, I'm not so sure about that.
