Hall of Famer Dwight Howard thinks the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers will meet in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Howard, who had three stints with the Lakers, thinks LeBron James will win his fifth title against the team he began his NBA career with.
“The Lakers scare me because if LeBron is healthy in the playoffs, it’s going to be tough for teams to beat them in a seven-game series,” Howard told Basketball Insiders. “My mind is saying the Lakers are going to win this year. I see the Lakers against Cleveland.”
The Cavaliers went 2-0 against James and the Lakers in the regular season. However, Los Angeles didn’t have Luka Doncic in either of those games.
“I love how the Lakers are playing,” Howard said. “I love how JJ (Redick) has stayed mentally locked in the whole season, hasn’t allowed any nonsense to affect them. The Luka trade, it really took them over the top. I see them making a deep run in the playoffs. I don’t see a lot of teams beating them in a seven-game series.”
The Cavaliers are the No. 1 seed in the East, while the Lakers are the third seed in the West.
“It’s going to be tough the way Luka can play and score and pass along with the basketball mind of LeBron,” Howard said. “Luka’s going to be taking the same juice that LeBron is taking to make him play longer. Luka’s going to come to the playoffs, he’s going to be dunking on people, he’s going to be shooting from half court. They got Austin Reaves going crazy, they got their defensive specialists. LeBron has done an amazing job with them.”
The Lakers will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers don’t know who they’ll play yet.
James, of course, is the best player in Cleveland franchise history. NBA ratings would be through the roof if the Lakers faced the Cavaliers in the Finals this year.
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