The Miami Heat may have an answer to the question, “Who is the next dynasty?” But before that, they must answer this question: How do you stop LeBron James? That is the question Erik Spoelstra must answer before taking the throne from his former player. 

Well, don’t overthink it. Keep your 2-3 zone, which worked against an ever-stronger Celtics defense. Miami must coordinate and have good off-ball communication so the Lakers don’t get any free buckets because of LeBron James’ passing ability.

You cannot stop Anthony Davis from getting shots and opportunities, but don’t let any come for free; force him to shoot contested 3s. The reason the Heat get favorable matchups is that they are so special in the way they play their zone, where they have their point guard and shooting guard down low so that they can get good contests against stretch fives on the perimeter. But this may be an issue if the Heat let Davis down into the second level, because that will lead to Duncan getting in foul trouble early, which happened repeatedly against the Celtics. 

The Lakers may not have an issue on the offensive side of the ball with two superstars who can make space for others. But on the defensive side, They can’t easily close the space for others, as the Heat have five offensive threats on the court at a time. The Lakers are way too top-heavy to the point where they don’t even have a full second roster. Kyle Kuzma is listed at both small forward and power forward. Meanwhile the Heat have Andre Iguodala and Derrick Jones Jr. at those spots for the second team. Given this, the Lakers are very thin depth-wise.

Both the Lakers and Heat are well-prepared. Except the Lakers have played two underwhelming teams – the Nuggets and Blazers — which they beat in five games, and the Rockets — who weren’t playing as a team. Now they face the Miami Heat, who pummeled the Pacers in 4 games, then used the Bucks’ strengths against them. In the Eastern Conference Finals, a very much hyped matchup was silenced by Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in six. Now it’s the Lakers’ turn to face the Heat. As long as the Heat can stick to their game plan and Jae Crowder can hit threes in transition, and as long as Miami has a good chance at the series. 

Then maybe the Heat can spark dynasty talk before it has even started.