NBA Finals: Predicting who wins Lakers-Heat, and why

After much springtime bloviating, there will be no asterisk on this NBA championship. If anything, it will be more badge of honor -- a mark of perseverance through isolation, mental strain, and the internal discord of performing a job in the entertainment industry while issues of social and racial justice roiled outside the Orlando bubble.

We remember some champions more than others. This champion will stand out forever.

The bubble did not produce a fluke finalist. The Los Angeles Lakers ranked among the league's three favorites all season. The Miami Heat did not, but they have been a different team in Orlando -- new starting lineup, remade identity, more powerful two-way force. They faced a…