Jimmy Butler, Heat Fall to Lakers in 2020 NBA Finals

That's all she wrote for the 2020 NBA season. What a ride it has been for the final two teams standing, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. Heading into the year, the Lakers were viewed as one of the favorites coming out of the Western Conference. The same couldn't be said for the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat, though.

Just last season, Butler was donning a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey at the beginning of the 2018 NBA season. Not even halfway through the year, Butler found himself playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, who were gunning for a championship. Butler and the Sixers came close to taking down the eventual champs in the second round of the playoffs, but they fell short.

Many expected Butler to run it back with the Sixers in 2019-2020, but the star had other plans once he realized the Sixers' organization wasn't right for him. So after working out a sign and trade last summer, Butler landed down in South Beach with the Miami Heat, where many assumed the team would be good -- but not great.

As we quickly found out, that sentiment would be false. The Heat were excellent in 2020, and they showed up and showed out in the NBA's bubble down in Orlando. After dominating the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and finally, the Boston Celtics, the Heat found themselves in the Finals facing off against the Lakers.

While Butler and Miami put up a good fight, it wasn't enough in the end. The strange season finally ended as the Lakers snagged their fourth win in Game 6 with a 106-93 victory over Miami on Sunday night. Now, the Lakers will head back to Los Angeles with the Larry O'Brien trophy to celebrate their win after spending months in the bubble.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_