2012 NBA Champions: Miami Heat

        Let me begin by saying...All Hail the King!  Congratulations to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.  The validation of your journey is now over and a small vision from Pat Riley in 2008 was realized.  LeBron James caught much hell for jokingly saying that the Heat would will multiple championships but it's the first one that will be forever special.  I'd like to say thank you to Dwyane Wade for showing a selflessness with helping Pat Riley bring the master plan of the Big 3 to fruition.  To Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and Juwan Howard, thank you for putting your bodies on the line and leaving everything you had the court to reach the mountain top.  Your contributions were just as important as the Big 3, enjoy this moment forever because you are now NBA Champions.  There hasn't been many "big men" in the NBA in recent memory that are as skilled as Chris Bosh.  Your rebounding and timely shooting has been a great aid to the Miami Heat for the last two years.  Thank you for sacrificing more dollars for a chance to become an NBA immortal.  You can now stand shoulder to shoulder with your NBA idol, Kevin Garnett.  


People say that "real" teams win NBA Championships and that's why the Heat lost to the Mavericks last season during the championship round; it's also the reason 90% of NBA fans and analyst chose the Thunder over the Heat.  The truth is that "real" teams do win NBA Championships and that's why the Miami Heat are your 2012 NBA Champions.  This team used a vision, sacrifice, and devotion to lay it all on the line and deliver the much awaited crown to the one true King.  Last but not least I would like to say thank you to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  When I see your team play I see all that is good with the NBA and your time to reach the mountain top come sooner than most think.  You were truly worthy opponents.  Detractors can say what they want about LeBron James, they can call him all of the names in the book but don't forget to call him champion going forward.  The Miami Heat were a true team and they displayed that when LeBron James needed them the most for the much hated Decision was the best Decision of his life.  Hello Champion, I salute you on a job well done.  

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2012 NBA Playoffs: The Finals

        It would be an understatement to stay that this is the matchup that the NBA has been searching for; many years in the past the NBA has sought out a "Money Matchup" in the finals and now it is here.  The Miami Heat will be battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the right to be called the 2012 NBA Champions. Someone will be crowned King but the question is will it be the once self proclaimed King of South Beach or the "humble" superstar in OKC that everyone loves.  Good versus Evil, anointed versus appointed, this will be one of the greatest NBA Finals in recent history.

The two teams are very similar, at times uptempo, great defensive players, having claim to the two best small forwards in the league, and lucky enough to have two of the best finishing/explosive guards in league history.  Just take a second and look at the talent, Westbrook, Durant, Perkins, Ibaka......Wade, James, Bosh, and Haslem.  These two teams matchup almost perfectly, one born from millions of dollars and cap know how,
the other born from the ashes of the Supersonics, built through the draft and very efficient trades.

Both the Thunder and the Heat are perimeter orientated teams, but the Heat would have the slight advantage here with Bosh being more versatile in the post than any of the Thunder's bigs and in the event that the Thunder bigs clog the lane, Bosh can simply raise up for perimeter jumpers.  Heat guard Mario Chalmers will have a time trying to contain Russell Westbrook so expect to see Dwyane Wade pick up the defensive assignment on Westbrook at times.  The "Money Matchup" of Kevin Durant and LeBron James will be a thing a beauty but which king will claim his throne for the first time?  These two will essentially cancel each other out but the Thunder will not allow Durant to guard James for long stretches due to being scared of Durant fouling out ala Paul Pierce in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The question is.....How will this end?  Just as last seasons' playoffs were Dirk's playground, this current seasons' has belonged to LeBron James.  Love him or hate him, it is his time to join the pantheon of NBA greats such as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.  Kevin Durant will be an NBA but it won't happen this year, perhaps next season as the young OKC Thunder will have to feel the agony of defeat one last time, the same agony that LeBron James and the Miami Heat felt last season as the Dallas Mavericks celebrated on the Heats' home court.  The Heat will defeat the OKC Thunder in six games as this years NBA Finals will a precursor to next years but the outcome may be much different.

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