As the 2020-21 NBA season taught us, anything can happen in this league and sometimes it is best to expect the unexpected. That being said, it still would be more surprising if the 2022 NBA Finals was not a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers and Nets are far and away the two best teams in the NBA. While fans of the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks might disagree, an injury-ladened Nets team would have beaten them before they even reached the NBA Finals if Kevin Durant’s feet were slightly smaller.
The Los Angeles Lakers were making easy work of the Phoenix Suns and were up 2-1 in the series before Anthony Davis got hurt. A healthy Lakers team likely would have beaten the Bucks as well.
The Lakers and Nets have six combined superstars, four combined MVPs and too many combined all-star appearances to count. It will be one of the most star-studded NBA Finals matchups in NBA history.
While the Nets are the favorites as it currently stands, the Los Angeles Lakers do have distinct advantages over Brooklyn.
This would be such a compelling NBA Finals matchup that legitimately could go either way. It is impossible to predict right now how an NBA Finals matchup nine months from now will shake out.
However, when (if) that matchup does happen, there are three advantages that the Los Angeles Lakers will enjoy and will help them in the series.