Just hours away from tip-off, we have a preview of the Western Conference champion Thunder vs. the Eastern Conference champion Heat. The Thunder have the home court advantage but do they have what it takes to take on the big 3 from the Miami Heat? Can Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh carry their team to the promise land against the enthusiastic and battle-tested Thunder? We will find out in this series.
This is a match-up most people wanted to see as the playoffs trickled down to four teams. Fans rather would have wanted to see two young/experienced teams, than rather watch the apparently boring San Antonio Spurs (who I think would have put on a great performance also) and the beat-up Boston Celtics ( I would have loved to watch the PG battle(s) with this team), but nonetheless, we have a great competition between 3-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and 3-time MVP of the NBA regular season Lebron James.
The series can go in favor of either team. The Heat can have a huge explosion from James, Wade and Bosh, while the bench steps-up and provides support, and the Thunder can have their dynamic trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden cause havoc with their bench providing help also. So who will be the difference maker in this series? It is going to come down to the coaching of Spoelstra and Brooks, if they can handle their respective teams during the crunch-time situations then that team is going to have the upper-hand in this series.
Oklahoma Cith Thunder are going to need Kevin Durant to be the leader/difference maker he was during the Spurs series, especially if it comes down to Westbrook jacking up ridiculous shots that put the Thunder in a hole. He has to be able to say "This is my team, and I am going to take us to the top." The defensive team of Perkins and Ibaka are going to cause a lot of problems for the Heat, but have to avoid foul trouble because Wade and James can make clutch free-throws.
Miami Heat are going to have trouble if they cannot penetrate the Thunder defense, if they can cause foul trouble and get to the line throughout the series, it can make a big difference, causing the Thunder to play with caution. James has to put the shadows of last NBA Finals behind him and produce big in the fourth quarter if he wants his name to stay atop the NBA greats.
This game is going to go to six, with the Thunder raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, putting Durant and Co.at the top of the NBA mountain, establishing a dynasty. The Heat will be sent home contemplating why and how they can build a championship caliber team.
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