The Heat are on their way to their second straight NBA finals after beating the Celtics in 7 games after being down 3-2. They Heat are not going to settle for being in the finals, they were there last year. They will come our guns a blazing and will not back down to the youngster in Oklahoma. Who has the advantage in this series? This could shape up to be one of the best finals in a while.
Match Ups:
PG: Russell Westbrook vs. Mario Chalmers
This one is obvious, Westbrook is better than Chalmers in every facet of the game and when Westbrook is looking to dish there is almost nothing that can stop him. He can only stop himself when he gets into a shooting slump, but just keeps shooting. Chalmers is mostly used as a 3 point shooter and wont cause any problems defensively for the Thunder, nor should he be a problem for Westbrook to guard.
Advantage: OKC
SG: Thabo Sefelosha vs Dwayne Wade
Sefelosha will cause problems defensively for the struggling Wade. Thabo isnt much of a threat offensively except for the occasional 3 or dunk. The only offense he creates for himself is off of steals which he can gather in bunches. Wade did struggle in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and he came out swinging in the finals. This could happen again, but he seems visibly upsets that this isn’t team anymore. He needs to be fully engaged for him to win this matchup. Wade should have no problem on the defensive end, but this is not who he should worry about.
Advantage: Miami
SF: Kevin Durant vs LeBron James
Durant is growing into the best player in the league. He might come out vengeful, wanting to take his MVP back. Durant can get hot at any moment and since he is 6’10” and has a high release it is hard for any defender to guard him. You cannot put a bigger defender on him either because he is too quick for a big man to guard. LeBron will have to get physical on Durant, but he cant foul because Durant almost never missed free throws. LeBron will have to continue his dominant play he has showcased during these playoffs. Last year LeBron fell completely off the wagon in the finals, posting embarrassing numbers. I dont think that will happen this year, but Kevin Durant will make it harder for him to score. Durant has a nice wingspan so LeBron cannot easily go around him like he could with other players. He will have to attack the basket and not worry about putting up jump shots. If he gets in a jump shot fest with Durant it will end not end well for LeBron.
Advantage: Even
PF: Serge Ibaka vs Chris Bosh
Ibaka has really improved over the last couple of years. He has added a nice mid range jumper and he can slam it on anyone. Where he really shines is on the defensive end and he will give Bosh troubles throughout the entire series. If he can send a couple of his shots early in the series that will make Bosh a jump shooter which bodes well for OKC. If he makes Miami a jump shooting team in general they will easily take the series. Bosh will have to exert himself and keep pounding it inside even if he shots are getting sent. He has to try to draw fouls on Ibaka by getting him up in the air. This will be Bosh’s greatest challenge and we will see if he is up for the task.
Advantage: OKC
C: Kendrick Perkins vs Ronnie Turiaf/Joel Anthony
Perkins will bring defensive intensity to this series, not that Miami’s centers are anything to worry about. He will be better utilized when Haslem comes off the bench. Whomever Miami starts a center will be a non factor. They may be able to give quality minutes, but thats it.
Advantage: OKC
6th Man: James Harden vs Udonis Haslem
Since they play different positions it is hard to compare the 2 players. Harden won 6h man of the year and he would start on most other teams. He brings 3 point shooting and scoring in general. When he is on his game Miami better find a way to stop him. Haslems brings intensity on the boards and a nice mid-range jumper. He wont score much, but the D has to pay attention to him. He can grab double digit boards any night.
Advantage: OKC
Bench:
Derek Fisher played tremendous minutes in the Wester Conference Finals. He seems to have found his touch and is an excellent old vet to balance out this extremely young Thunder team. Nick Collison will be the big man coming off the bench and if he doesn’t have to play long minutes he will be fine. Miami will most likely bring out Shane Battier plays good D and will most likely play on Durant to give LeBron a rest when he is in. Battier can also shoot from long range. Norris Cole will also get minutes, but I dont know what kind of factor he will be on the game. James Jones will come in if Miami needs a 3 or could use some good shooting.
Advantage: Even
Coaching: Scotty Brooks vs Erik Spoelstra
This is a matchup of two relatively young coaches. Brooks nudges out Spoelstra as the better coach, simply because he runs better lineups and draws up better plays at the end of regulation.
Advantage: OKC
Series Prediction: Thunder 4-2
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden will prove to be too much to handle and with Ibaka roaming the paint. The Thunder win their first ever finals on their home court in game 6.
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