Heat/Thunder- 2012 NBA Finals Preview & Prediction

LeBron James and Kevin Durant

     And to thin we might not have ever had a season. The Heat and Thunder meet in the Finals for the first time and it will be a battle between the two most entertaining and explosive teams in the NBA. Now, everyone wants to look at the marquee matchup of Kevin Durant and LeBron James and say whoever gets the better of one another will win the series. Not exactly. This series will come down to the adjustments the Heat make to neutralize the Thunder which will allow LeBron James and to a lesser extent Dwyane Wade to take over. Rajon Rondo was the most dominant player on the floor for most of the Eastern Finals, so the Heat must find a way to slow down Russell Westbrook. Another factor is how the Heat will handle the battle down low. In last years finals, the Mavericks, led by Tyson Chandler dominated the paint and unless Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony step up, I see the Thunder controlling the paint once again with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka down low. The Thunder have all the matchup advantages and they have the depth. They are athletic enough to play right with the Heat which is why it will come down to the Heat's big three to keep the series close. Chris Bosh will need to be the same player he was against the Celtics, which was, by the way, the main reason why the Heat won the series was Chris Bosh returning from injury. Secondly, Dwyane Wade needs to step up and return to his superstar form or else James Harden will get the better of him if Wade plays like he has played this postseason. And the third and final factor will be LeBron James. If he wants to actually ascend to greatness, then he will play like he did in games six and seven of the Boston series and lead the Heat to the championship.

Russell Westbrook

     What I see happening is LeBron having that killer instinct, but he turns it on when it is just a little bit too late for the Heat. The Thunder will dominate the paint and they will fail to control Russell Westbrook, who will be the best player on this series for both teams. Just like the Mavericks did last year, I see the Thunder disposing the Heat, but this time in five games, with Russell Westbrook taking home NBA Finals MVP.

Game 1- Oklahoma City 105-95
Game 2- Miami 87-81
Game 3- Oklahoma City 112-110 OT
Game 4- Oklahoma City 94-77
Game 5- Oklahoma City 119-113 2OT