NBA Finals 2020: Game 1 TV Schedule, Odds, Heat vs. Lakers Prediction

More than two months after 22 teams arrived at the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Florida, there are only two remaining—the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. And at some point during the next two weeks, one of them will win the NBA title.

The NBA Finals are set to get underway Wednesday night as Los Angeles and Miami face off for the first time in the postseason. The Lakers reached this point by winning each of first three series against the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets in five games, while the Heat have defeated the Indiana Pacers (in four games), the Milwaukee Bucks (five) and the Boston Celtics (six).

Now, each of these teams is looking to get four more wins to end this unorthodox season by celebrating a championship. The Lakers hope to win their record-tying 17th NBA title (and first since 2010), while the Heat are looking to win their fourth (and first since 2013).

Here's everything you need to know heading into Wednesday's Game 1 matchup.

NBA Finals Game 1 Information

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 30

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ABC

Odds (via FanDuel): Los Angeles -4.5

NBA Title Odds

Los Angeles -360 (bet $360 to win $100)

Miami +260 (bet $100 to win $260)

Odds obtained via FanDuel

Game 1 Preview, Prediction

While the Heat have played well throughout the playoffs, they'll now face their greatest challenge yet. The Lakers are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and they have a superstar duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

There's no player in this series with more NBA Finals experience than James, who made it every year from 2011-18. Miami knows how talented he is, because he led the Heat to back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 amid four straight NBA Finals appearances.

And the Heat know that if they want to get off to a strong start, they can't have many mistakes.

"We're going to have to play damn near perfect because they're such a good team and they do so many things well," Miami forward Jimmy Butler said, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN).

The Heat have yet to trail in a series so far this postseason. However, that is soon about to change.

In Game 1, the Lakers will carry over the momentum from their strong finish to the Western Conference Finals and take an early series lead against the Heat. James and Davis will be too much for Miami's defense to stop (whether it runs a 2-3 zone or not), and the duo will continue their remarkable postseason showing.

James has had a tremendous season for Los Angeles, and that hasn't stopped in the playoffs. In the Lakers' series-clinching Game 5 win over the Nuggets, he had a triple-double, collecting 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. And now that he's in the NBA Finals, he may take his game to an even higher level.

If the Heat decide to utilize their zone defense, then Davis is likely to have success against it. He's capable of scoring from all over the floor, and he's been doing so during the playoffs. Plus, the 27-year-old forward is making his first NBA Finals appearance, so he'll be more motivated than ever being this close to his first championship.

This series likely won't be a sweep. The Heat are a strong, well-rounded team, and they've shown that consistently during the postseason. They'll notch a win or two in the NBA Finals.

However, the Lakers are going to get off to a strong start in Game 1 and keep control until they're the last team standing in the NBA bubble. There's just too much talent between James and Davis for them not to.