The NBA Finals: Miami's X-Factor Shane Battier

Shane Battier has been big for the Heat in the NBA Finals

The Heat might have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh playing well but it has been Shane Battier that has been key to the success of the Heat. Shane Battier has stepped up his game in the NBA Finals as he has made some big shots in these playoffs and especially in game two of the Finals to lead the Heat to victory. So, what has Battier done that has made him so essential?
1. Battier is doing well with 40+ minutes.
Shane Battier has played well and this has allowed the Heat to give their big three some rest instead of having LeBron and Wade play the whole games. Battier has shown the stamina also to play these many minutes in these intense games as this is giving the Heat a fourth scorer which makes them very dangerous. Battier has proven to be a key player in the Heat lineup due to his stamina and his scoring as Battier has shown an excellent ability at playing in the big minutes.

2. Battier is making tons of shots
Shane Battier has been getting open from beyond the arc for three point shots and he has been making those shots. This has allowed the Heat to attack the basket with LeBron James or Dwyane Wade knowing that they can kick it back out to Battier to make the big three point shots. This also will force the Thunder to keep someone on Battier throughout the game. Battier has amde nine three pointers already in this series and I would expect him to keep making throughout the rest of this series.

3. Battier is stepping up in the fourth quarter.
Battier is stepping up at the end of games in these NBA Finals as when it has seemed like the Heat are about to blow it, Shane Battier steps up and makes a big three. During game two, the Thunder cut Miami's lead to four and the Heat couldn't find anybody to shoot it on the next possession until they found Battier who did not have the easiest three with the shot clock in single digits. Battier put the shot off the backboard and in which turned all the momentum back to the Heat. Without that the shot, the Thunder would have probably come back and taken the lead. Battier has been making big shots like that throughout the playoffs and he will need to keep doing that if the Heat want to win the NBA Championship.

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.

Miami vs Indiana Game Five: The Fallout

This year's Miami-Indiana series has been intense as the tension in this series went out of control last night as all the trash talk led to some ugly plays last night. There were multiple flagrant fouls that will cost a couple of players some games as they will be watching in street clothes. So, what should the NBA do with Tyler Hansbrough, Udonis Haslem, and Dexter Pittman.

Tyler Hansbrough went a little over the top in getting Dwyane Wade but the Hansbrough play was not intentionally going after Wade's head. Hansbrough deserved the flagrant foul but he should not get any sort of suspension. Meanwhile, Udonis Haslem decided to get some revenge on Hansbrough and take down the Pacers' big man while shooting down in the post. This was also declared a flagrant foul as it deserved to be as Haslem went after Hansbrough. This play is unacceptable and Haslem should be suspended one game for his actions.

Dexter Pittman might have ended his season after what he did last night near the end to get revenge on Pacers' guard Lance Stephenson who previously did the choke sign in game three. What Lance Stephenson did in game three was wrong and he should have been suspended but that gave Dexter Pittman no reason to throw an elbow at the throat of Stephenson intentionally. Pittman crossed the line and then stepped all over it as he didn't show any remorse. David Stern has to come down hard on this out-of-control idiot as Pittman should get a 25 game suspension for doing this. The NBA must teach Pittman a lesson and having a suspension that is 25 games and will carry over to next season will make that statement.

Update:
The Haslem suspension was correct but Pittman is the world's luckiest man. David Stern should have put down an iron fist as anybody who saw the foul know that Pittman wanted to hurt Lance Stephenson. David Stern and the NBA look very weak as this 3 game suspension is a joke. David Stern sent a weak message instead of a stern one that would have prevented this in the future as 3 games is a joke.

NBA Playoff Preview

Be Ready for a Durant-LeBron showdown in the Finals

The NBA playoffs are under and already we have a big storyline with the Bulls losing Derrick Rose in game one against the 76ers. These playoffs should be exciting so what will happen.

Round One Predictions

Iguodala is ready to knock out the top seeded Bulls

Eastern Conference
8 Philadelphia 76ers over 1 Chicago Bulls in 6
2 Miami Heat over 7 New York Knicks in 5
3 Indiana Pacers over 6 Orlando Magic in 6
4 Boston Celtics over 5 Atlanta Hawks in 6
The Bulls are taking on a deep 76er team that will be difficult now that the Bulls are without star point guard Derrick Rose. Andre Iguodala will help get the 76ers to the next round while the Heat should be able to walk by the Knicks. The Magic are a ressilliant bunch but the Pacers are built to get past the first round of the playoffs and with a healthy center in Roy Hibbert and abunch a good, young players; stamina will allow the Pacers to move on. The Celtics and Hawks have had some great playoff series and there is no reason to expect less but the Celtics are playing well and a Al Horford-less Hawks just are not good enough to get by Boston.

Jefferson will win this matchup against Duncan

Western Conference
8 Utah Jazz over 1 San Antonio Spurs in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 7 Dallas Mavericks in 5
3 Los Angeles Lakers over 6 Denver Nuggets in 7
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 4 Memphis Grizzlies in 6
How about both number one seeds going in the first round. Some would say that the Spurs won't make another early exit but the Jazz have the one thing that allowed Memphis to pull the upset last year, size and tons of it. The Jazz have tons of dominate big man with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter. The Jazz will dominate the boards and whenever you do that, you will win games and win the series. The Mavs just are not as good as last year and the Thunder will be able to cruise to the next round. The Nuggets will be a real challenge for the Lakers due to Denver's depth and Ty Lawson but the Lakers are too experienced to not get by the first round. The Clippers are a perfect matchup for Memphis and Chris Paul will help lead the Clippers to the Western Conference semis.

Conference Semifinals

KG will help eliminate Philly

Eastern Conference
4 Boston Celtics over 8 Philadelphia 76ers in 6
2 Miami Heat over 3 Indiana Pacers in 5
The Celtics are a good team and a legitimate contender but they will be challenged by the youth and depth of the 76ers. Veterans like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen know how to make big shots and in this northeast showdown, that will be the difference as the Celtics will be headed for the Eastern Conference Final. The Pacers are a good team but the Heat are a truely elite team with of course the big three but also they have a better gropu of players surrounding James,Wade, and Bosh than last year. The Heat have the ability to get that NBA Championship and they will take another step to get closer to the NBA Finals.

Durant will get past Kobe in the semis.

Western Conference
5 Los Angeles Clippers over 8 Utah Jazz in 5
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 3 Los Angeles Lakers in 5
The Clippers-Jazz series should be great as both these teams have tons of talent but the one difference is at point guard with the Clips having Chris Paul and the Jazz having Devin Harris. Paul is a way better player than Harris and that will make this series not as close as it seems as Chris Paul will take one LA team to the Western Conference finals. The other LA team, the Lakers, will be headed for the exit doors when they play the Thunder as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant will be a ble to dominate while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will be good enough to slow down Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as OKC will head for the Western Conference final.

LeBron and Miami will defeat Pierce and Boston

Conference Finals
2 Miami Heat over 4 Boston Celtics in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder over 5 Los Angeles Clippers in 6
The Heat and the Celtics will provide a great matchup in the Eastern Conference finals as it will be the original big three against the South Beach big three. The Celtics have the advantage at the point but the Heat have the better players at every other position as the Heat know they are so close to the Finals. This will be the Heat's year to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals with the goal of winning a championship. Thunder vs Clippers will be a great showdown as these two are becoming two of the Western Conference powerhouses. Both teams are loaded with stars like Durant, Russell Westbrook, CP3, and Blake Griffin. The Thunder have a great scorer off the bench in sixth man of the year award favorite James Harden. Harden will be huge in this series and help send the Thunder to a final against Miami.

NBA Finals
2 Miami Heat over 2 Oklahoma City Thunder in 7
This has been my pick for the NBA season all year and I'm not going to change it now as these two teams are definitely the best in the NBA this year. The big matchup in this year's finals will be between the two big stars, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant and LeBron are the two best players in basketball and this will be the ultimate matchup on the biggest stage before they pair up in London for the Olympics. Dwayne Wade will be matchuped on Russell Westbrook as the Heat ahave the one lineup that lines up well with OKC. Bosh will be able to have more success down low than anyone else as Ibaka and Perkins will be worn down froma tough playoffs. The Heat have some playmakers off the bench that can make an impact as Udonis Haslem will provide some offensive rebounds while Joel Anthony will play strong defense. James Harden will makes some shots but at the end of the day, LeBron will outplay Durant and bring a NBA Championship to Miami.

LeBron will defeat Durant and win the title for the Heat.