The 2012 NBA Finals will feature the Miami Heat vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. There are several storylines that we will not be able to escape over the next few days and a good number of them will surround the current NBA MVP LeBron James. You know it, you've heard it a million times: will James finally get the monkey off of his back and win his first championship? And if he does is he still worthy of being an all time great? Right now all of that really doesn't matter. As much as we'd like to make it all about LeBron, this series will be more about the teams.
For the Heat, the wait is finally over. After losing last year in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, nothing short of returning to the Finals would have been acceptable in many critics' eyes. The "heat" has been on the Heat ever since James & Chris Bosh decided to join forces with Dwyane Wade to win a championship. Their collaboration, along with some antics by the trio has rubbed many people the wrong way. Powerhouses will naturally attract haters and the Heat have more than their fair share of them. But the hate has clouded many folks of their good judgement. Say what you want about Miami but they have done great things as a unit since the stars have banded together. Last year, their first season together, they were merely two wins away from winning the whole thing. This year, on paper, they had a clear lane to the Finals with first round injuries (particularly the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose) inflicting would be challengers, but they still did what they had to do on the floor. They easily disposed of the New York Knicks, and their talent overcame challenging series against the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. I was astonished to hear the professional basketball analyst put verbal toe tags on the Heat after they went down 3 - 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Celtics. As if the Heat couldn't muster up winning two games in a row against an inconsistent and aging Celtic squad. To their amazement (certainly not mines) Miami did just that, winning both in Boston and the back at home in convincing fashion. Miami has its flaws but don't let the hate freeze your brain, this team is very good and capable of winning it all.
You down with OKC? Yeah you know me! You down with OKC?.......The Thunder is a young and exciting team that has captured the imagination of many fans around the country, sans the greater Seattle area. Led by their superstar Kevin Durant and emerging stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden, OKC can run the floor with the best of them. Their road to the Finals increasingly became tougher with each series: it started with a sweep of the defending champion Mavs, then a 4 - 1 series win over the Los Angeles Lakers and then a 4 - 2 series win in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The next series will probably be their toughest. The Thunder have opened up a few eyes with their Finals appearance. I think a lot of people knew they were coming but not many thought their time would be this year when the season started. But the Thunder battled for a good portion of the season for the league's best record and gained the confidence and respect of fans and the media along the way. Though you have to feel bad for the fans that the Thunder left behind in Seattle when they were formerly the Supersonics, it is refreshing to see the home town support that the team receives in Oklahoma City. They are loud, enthusiastic and could become a factor in this series as the Thunder will enjoy home court advantage.
This is series should be fun to watch. Both teams are talented and skilled; I wouldn't be shocked at all if either team won. This current Heat team obviously have a lot riding on this Finals. A loss by them in this series will prove to be two straight years of failing in the Finals and the critics will only get louder. They will have to wait yet another year to try to get in the Finals to prove themselves again. I believe they can taste it and they could shut a lot of people up by sealing the deal. The Thunder on the other hand doesn't have that kind of pressure. If they lose this series it'll be viewed as a nice natural progression for the team and they will be favored to come back to the Finals in the near future. Realistically though OKC can't count on that. A team is never guaranteed a return trip to the Finals no matter how much potential they have. I don't think the Heat will fold to the outside pressure but I do think the Thunder will take this series. OKC will have to stay away from trying win every game with jumpers and establish some post and penetration half court offense. I think the Thunder have the offensive players to exploit the Heat defense. Westbrook is quick and can create his own shot though I echo those who say Durant must touch the ball more. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins should have an offensive advantage over the bigs of the Heat. The Thunder also will have to buckle down on defense, something they showed us when they played the Spurs late in that series. As explosive as Miami's offense can be, they have shown stretches of stagnation that will hurt them in this series. The Thunder have had those bouts too but I believe they'll overcome that in the Finals. Also the Heat have been awful from the free throw line in these playoffs and that will cause them to lose a game or two in this series which should feature close games. So I'll take the Thunder to win their first championship in Oklahoma City and the Heat to take the wrath of the haters for yet another season.
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