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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2012 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals

           It was the matchup that was destined to happen, the Big Three of the Boston Celtics are to battle the Big Three of the Miami Heat.  In reality, the Celtics will face the Big Two of the Miami Heat with Chris Bosh still being listed as out indefinitely with his abdominal strain.  As the Heat were moving past the Indiana Pacers, they were tested, finishing the series in 6 games.  The Pacers surprised the Heat and punched them in the mouth.  The Heat regrouped and delivered the knockout punch to the Pacers.  The Celtics just wrapped up a grueling 7 game series with the Sixers and they were pushed to the brink.

With Bosh being sidelined, the Celtics will have a huge advantage down low with Kevin Garnett free to do as he pleases but the Heat will counter with Joel Anthony who can be a capable defender as long as he remains out of foul trouble.  Another huge advantage the Celtics will have is with point guard Rajon Rondo who has killed the Heat every time these two teams face off.  At times Rondo can be considered as a walking triple double.

The Miami Heat's main advantage will be the play of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.  If hot, the Celtics will have a hard time defending those two and the combo
will be able to create shots for the teams' role players.  The shots will be there, the role players will just have to convert them which is easier said than done.  If on the move, the Heat will create terrible match up problems for the Celtics and don't count out the fact that the Celtics will have no time to rest between yesterday's game 7 and Monday's game 1.  Both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce stated that they like quick turnarounds between each playoff series but as one gets older, your mind can say one thing and your body another.

The Celtics had the hardest time getting by the Sixers who gave them significant match up issues and the Heat are a more advanced version of the Sixers as far as speed, athleticism, and rebounding.  The Miami Heat will dispatch the Boston Celtics in what could be the end of the era of the Big Three of the Celtics, but you won't hear the Celtics say that.

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