The NBA Finals



The Thunder and the Heat are ready to battle for the title.

It has all come down to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat to decide who will win this year's NBA title on the game's biggest stage.The Thunder and the Heat were predicted by many to meet in the finals as both teams have had excellent seasons to back up those predictions. Now, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Heat will get a shot at redemption after losing in the finals last year to the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, James Harden, and the Thunder have had the best support in the NBA since moving to Oklahoma City and will look to bring a title to OKC. So who will win the NBA Finals?

Wade and Westbrook will be a big matchup

Starting Guards
The Thunder have Russell Westbrook starting at point and defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha starting beside him while the Heat have sharp shooter Mario Chalmers at the point and Dwyane Wade at shooting guard. The Thunder have a huge advantage at point guard as Westbrook will dominate aginst Chalmers and this may force the Heat to use Wade on Westbrook. Meanwhile, Wade is a much better scorer than Sefolosha but Sefolosha is an excellent defensive player which is why he is a starter.  The Thunder definitely have the slight edge at guard.








LeBron vs Durant
This will definitely be the big matchup in this series as LeBron James and Kevin Drant are arguably the two best players in the NBA. Durant has never been on this stage but his personality seems suited to be able to handle all the pressure quite well. LeBron, meanwhile, has seemed like a man on a mission as James has never performed well in the past in the finals but James seems ready this time and determined to win a ring. LeBron's experience gives him a very slight edge on Durant as this matchup will be very decisive.

Bosh will have a tough matchup against Ibaka

Frontcourt
The Heat have Chris Bosh regiaining his health as he should be able to start with Joel Anthony but Anthony isn't much more than a shot blocker. The Thunder have a fully healthy duo of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins who have both played well this postseason. Bosh will need to be completely healthy for the Heat to have any chance of success in the post. The Thunder have a fairly large advantage in the post as Ibaka and Perkins can help lead the Thunder to a championship.

Bench
The Thunder have James Harden on the bench which gives them a huge advantage as Harden is the NBA best sixth man. Harden is very effective off the bench and he can make the big shots that are necessary for someone off the bench to make. The Heat have veterans like Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, and Mike Miller but none of them are anywhere near the level that James Harden is on so the Thunder have a large advantage here.

The fans for the Thunder will make a huge impact on this series

Coaching and the Fans
Scott Brooks and Erik Spoelstra are two of the NBA's brightest young coaches as the overall coaching in this series will be very good. The crowds could make a big difference as the Heat fans are not known for being the most lively and the Thunder can easily silence them. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City fans are the best in the NBA and no matter how much the Heat will do, the Heat will not be able to silence the OKC fans unless they are winning by 20 or more points which will be very hard to do.

Verdict
Oklahoma City and Miami will produce a great series but at the end of the day, the Thunder will be lifting the trophy as the Thunder will win the series in 6 games.

OKC's big three will lead the Thunder to their first NBA title in Oklahoma City

Eastern Conference Finals: Can the Heat come back?

The Celtics picked up a huge win in Miami in game five as the Celtics are in pole position to book a ticket to the NBA Finals in front of their own fans in Boston. However, the Heat are not out of this series and they still have a chance to win game six and force a game seven in Miami. The Heat have the weapons to force a game seven so why will this happen?
Why Miami forces a Game Seven
1. Chris Bosh is regaining his health
Chris Bosh was fairly effective in his surprisngly limited 14 minutes of floor time as he had 9 points and 7 rebounds. Miami will finally have someone that can defend Kevin Garnett in Chris Bosh, and his extra rest in game five could allow him to be very energized in game six which could revitalize the hopes of the Heat. Bosh's return gives them the dominate big man that they have been looking for as it allows them to use Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem in true coming off the bench roles. The return of Bosh can really give the Heat a realistic shot of winning this series.

2. The Heat have Dwyane Wade and LeBron James
This may seem like stating the obvious but any team that has Dwyane Wade and LeBron James has a realistic shot to win a vital game six. James is always going to give a team a high energy performance and tons of points as the MVP will look to have a big game six. James will have a big game but the Heat also have one of the clutchest players in the NBA, Dwyane Wade. Wade is a clutch shooter and performer and these are the moments when you expect someone like Wade to step up. Wade could very well have a 35-40 point performance in game six as Wade will show up and be huge at the end of tomorrow's game. With Wade and James, the Heat can definitely stay alive in this year's playoffs.

3. The Heat have a clutch starting point guard in Mario Chalmers.
Mario Chalmers has always found a way to show up in the big games as he knows how to make tons of big shots. During the Pacers series, Chalmers was big in the key games as he was able to get 10 to 15 points which helped put Miami over the edge and into the next round. Chalmers is known for making big shots from beyond the arc and is a guy that the Heat have to look to get the ball to in late game situations due to his clutch shooting ability. Chalmers might not be a player that gets a lot of headlines but he is a player that will help the Heat force a game seven.