JR Smith predicted earlier this year that the LeBron James-led Lakers would face the Heat in the NBA Finals. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

J.R. Smith predicted Lakers-Heat NBA Finals in February

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 9/28/20

Predicting who will play in the NBA Finals during the regular season isn't always easy, but we have to give credit to J.R. Smith.

On Sunday night, we were reminded via Twitter that Smith predicted back in February that the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat would face each other in the penultimate round.

At the time of his prediction, Smith was still a free agent. He signed with the Lakers a few months later.

J.R. Smith predicted a Lakers vs. Heat Finals back in February. pic.twitter.com/JvJ0oENsw2
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 28, 2020

The Lakers reached the Finals after defeating the Denver Nuggets in five games. After the Lakers missed the playoffs last season, the team now becomes just the fourth team in NBA history since 1984 to reach the Finals one year after missing the postseason entirely.

Miami, on the other hand, is making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014 after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. The Heat are the first fifth seed to reach the penultimate round.

More must-reads: