On Tuesday the NBA Finals will begin as the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the team who everyone seem to be hating these days, the Miami Heat.
This will be the second year in a row since Lebron James and Chris Bosh took their talents to South Beach that Heat will appear in the Championship series. After losing in six games to the Dallas Mavericks last year, the Heat were criticized vehemently and called “choke artists” by media and fans alike. Much of this reaction, no doubt, stemmed from the circus at the beginning of the year where James and Bosh signed with Miami and came off very cocky, proclaiming that they would win five straight championships. On Tuesday they will have another chance to begin this run, but it will not be an easy assignment as they are up against a team, who are in my opinion the best in the NBA, the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook-led Oklahoma City Thunder.
The road to the finals for both of these teams did not really become rocky until the Conference Finals. This is where the Thunder ran into the Western Conference’s number 1 seed, the San Antonio Spurs. Lead by Greg Popovich, the Spurs have been a well-oiled machine for the better part of the last 15 years and came into the series with an 8-0 playoff record. They quickly took the first two games and it seemed like the Thunder were done. It was then that Oklahoma City dug deep and turned the series around, winning the next four games and eliminating the odds-on favorite to win it all.
The Heat, after getting through the first two rounds relatively unscathed, faced their arch rivals, the Boston Celtics. Due to a season-ending injury to last year’s NBA MVP Derrick Rose, the number one seeded Chicago Bulls were quickly disposed of, opening up the door for this exciting rematch from 2011. The series got very interesting when Paul Pierce hit a clutch three in the dying seconds of game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, but Boston came out flat in game 6 at home, treating the ball like it was covered in bacon fat, and Miami tied the series and eventually went on to win a hard-fought game seven in their house.
Now these two exceptional teams will collide for basketball supremacy. The experience advantage lies with the Heat who went to the dance last year and who boast a leader who already wears a ring (Dwayne Wade). The return of Chris Bosh from his abdominal injury helped Miami pull it together to beat the Celtics and his presence will be the key to Miami’s series. One can always count on Lebron James to be a force, but Miami’s big man (Bosh) is the most important piece to the championship puzzle. With the NBA’s scoring champion Kevin Durant, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, the massive shot-blocking machine, Serge Ibaka, along with James Harden and Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder have the size and strength to bully the Heat up and down the court. Chris Bosh will have to establish his presence and prove that he is not what Durant referred to as a “fake big man” earlier in the season. Bosh will also need help from the physical Udonis Haslem. Of course, James and Wade will need to play big and fire on all cylinders as well to combat the Thunder’s strength and stature.
At this point, the Thunder have the clear advantage with Russell Westbrook, who has shown time and time again that he can act as a general and control a game, even outdueling Tony Parker in the semi’s. A good point guard can dissect Miami as was seen when Rajon Rondo was playing his best for the Celtics. From what I’ve seen, Westbrook is more dangerous and consistent than Rondo, and if Rondo can do it, Westbrook can certainly do it. Mario Chalmers is solid for Miami at the point, but is clearly outmatched by Westbrook.
At the end of the day this series will be exciting and intense. Expect to see a shove or two between Bosh and Durant, maybe the odd elbow, and a lot of trash talk and emotion from both sides. Despite their youth, the Thunder should emerge victorious given their depth and size, but Lebron is the type of player who can change a series by himself, and if Bosh can remain healthy and get his minutes the Heat may pull it out. My call, however, is Oklahoma City to win and Lebron to continue chasing down the dream of his first NBA title.
…and that is the Last Word.
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