Lakers finish NBA bubble’s postseason with 17th NBA championship

ORLANDO, Fla. — The NBA’s three-month experiment with its Orlando bubble ended Sunday night with the Los Angeles Lakers’ 17th NBA championship.

The Lakers led throughout on Sunday, capping its six-game series with the Miami Heat with a commanding win.

Sunday night was also Lebron James’ 260th career playoff game, lifting him into sole possession of first place on the league’s postseason appearances list. James is in his 17th season. After missing the playoffs in his first two seasons, he has reached the postseason 14 times in 15 years.

Los Angeles’ title is also fairly emotional for the organization and those involved, coming less than nine months after the death of Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died with his daughter and seven others in a January helicopter crash.

The 22 teams invited to the bubble at Walt Disney World arrived in early July, a few weeks before they began playing scrimmage games and their final eight regular season games. The Lakers and Heat both spent about 100 days in isolation, with some family members allowed during the postseason’s final two rounds.