This is the match-up everyone wants to see. Lebron James vs. Kevin Durant for the biggest prize in the game. The two best players go mano-a-mano to start cementing their legacies. The three-time MVP (James) matching up against the back-to-back-to-back scoring champion (Durant). This is the first time since 1997 (Karl Malone vs. MJ) that the regular season MVP is matching up against the scoring champ in the Finals. Also, this is the first time since 1992, (MJ vs. Clyde Drexler) that the MVP and the MVP runner-up, have a date in the NBA Finals. This is arguably the most star power we have seen in the finals since the Magic-led Lakers battled the Bird-led Celtics in the 80's. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade all finished in the top seven in points per/game this season. Not much has changed in the playoffs. These four rank in the top eight in scoring. This is going to be an entertaining series, with a ton of great match-ups to watch, so get your popcorn ready!LEBRON vs. DURANT
Whoever plays better between these two will determine a lot in this series. We have seen greatness in the first three rounds of the playoffs, from both of these individuals. Lebron James arguably just had his best series in his playoff career, and one of the best series in the history of the game. It was one of the best individual performances ever.Kevin Durant played lights out to send the best team in the NBA fishing. The Spurs were riding a 20-game winning streak, and up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals, until Durant willed his team to four-straight wins.
Lebron James proved he can shine when his team is backed into a corner (FINALLY). This match-up between the two best players in the game, is going to be one helluva duel.
James became the third player in NBA history, to score at least 25 points in every game, in a seven-game series. In game six, James put the Heat on his back, and dominated Boston, in their own backyard. It was one of the top ten playoff performances in NBA history. He put up Wilt-like numbers: 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in a must win game. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player in NBA history to put up at least 45, 15, and 5 in a playoff game. This game would not have meant much for James if his Heat did not come out and win game seven. With the game tied 73-73, entering the 4th quarter, James put the team on his back once again. James scored 11 in the 4th to lead the Heat to a 101-88 victory. He threw down a thunderous slam and hit a shot from nearly 30-feet out to seal the deal in game seven. James averaged 33.6 PPG, 11 RPG, 4 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.1 SPG, and shot 53% from the floor. He is the first player to score 30+ points in at least six games in a series, since Shaquille O'Neal did it in 2000 for the L.A. Lakers. For people that say James does not show up in big games, I think James just answered that with an exclamation point! The most important part of James' game is being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line. Since he joined Miami, they are 6-0 in the playoffs when James draws 10 or more fouls on the opposition. He is near impossible to stop when he gets to the paint.
Kevin Durant was just as great in the Western Conference Finals. Game four showed he is ready for the moment. The Thunder saw a 15-point lead dwindle to four with just over seven minutes remaining. You could see the panic in the young OKC squad, well except for one player: Kevin Durant. He put the Thunder on his back and took the game over. He scored 16 straight points in the 4th, leading to a 109-103 victory, to even up the series at two. The look in his eyes was Kobe-like. No one, and I mean NO ONE, was stopping him from scoring. Oklahoma City never looked back after this one. In game five, in San Antonio, Durant came up huge in the second half once again. Durant scored 22 of his 27 points in the final 24-minutes, to become the first team to win in San Antonio, in nearly two months. In the close out game, Durant dominated. He went for 34, 14, and 5 to send the Spurs on an early summer vacation. In the Western Conference Finals, Durant averaged 29.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5 APG, 1.5 BPG, 1.7 SPG, 53% from the field, 36% from deep, and 91% from the line. Pretty insane numbers just like his counterpart. This is going to be one of the best match-ups in Finals history. It has been quite some time since we have had number one vs. number two. We get a chance to watch the two best players in the game meet up for all the marbles. One of these two guys will start their legacy, while the other will have to wait at least one more year.
D-WADE vs. WESTBROOK
Russell Westbrook has shown brilliance at times, but has also shown immaturity in key moments too. In game five against the Spurs, Westbrook was taking horrible shots down the stretch, and had some unforced turnovers, that gave San Antonio a chance to steal game five. With Westbrook struggling in the final seven minutes, he still knocked down a big-time 18-footer with 1:30 left to give OKC a 103-99 lead. It proved to be a crucial bucket and the Thunder never looked back. That is Westbrook's game. He is a very confident player no matter how bad he could be playing. This is good and bad for Oklahoma City.
Dwyane Wade is going to be a huge reason on why Miami wins or loses this series. The Heat need Wade to find his rhythm early and not wait until the second half. Oklahoma is too good of a team. Miami is taking a huge step up in competition. They were able to get by a Knicks team that has no identity, a Pacers team that is still very young, and an old Celtics team that had nothing left in the tank. Oh how things change quickly for Miami. Now they are facing a young team who is playoff battle tested, and a very hungry squad. They just knocked off the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs to get to the Finals. Those three organizations represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals the last 13 years, and had won four of the previous five championships. If Miami wants to knock off this squad, they are going to need Dwyane Wade to play close to the way he did when he won the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. It will be crucial for Wade to be very aggressive and take it to the rim. He shot over 70% against Boston inside the paint, compared to under 30% from outside of the paint. During the last five games for Wade, he shot just 40% from the floor. That is not going to get it done for Miami. They need Wade close to 50% in this series. One thing with Wade, is if he can get a couple of easy shots early, it sets the tone for his game. If you can frustrate Wade early, it affects his game tremendously. Wade needs to get to the rim and be aggressive. Getting to the free-throw line and getting Oklahoma's bigs in foul trouble, will be very important for Miami in this series. 
Russell Westbrook has certainly emerged as one of the top point guards in the game. Last year during the playoffs, Westbrook cost his team a chance at advancing to the NBA Finals. The only game the Thunder won, was when Russell Westbrook was left on the bench for the entire fourth quarter in game two. He played horrible against Dallas. He wanted to be the guy, and wanted to shine. I admit he can still be a bit erratic at times, but he has matured tremendously in one year. He now knows Kevin Durant is the guy and is fine with it. The kid is still only 23-years old and is going to keep getting better. Before the series against San Antonio, Tony Parker told the media, "I am going to take it right at him and see how he handles it." Well, Tony, sorry to inform ya', but he handled it pretty well. He, along with his teammates, sent Parker on an early fishing trip. Westbrook averaged over 7 assists/game against the Spurs and had a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio. Last year, in the Western Conference Finals, Westbrook averaged just under 5 assists/game and had a horrible 1:1 assist/turnover ratio. Westbrook is going to need to play huge for OKC against Miami. It will be significant for him to know his role. He needs to continue working on knowing when to take it and when to defer. I hate when people say he shoots too much for a point guard. The Thunder need him to score, because outside of Durant and Harden, they do not have a guy who can create his own shot. This makes it tough on Westbrook, because it is important for him to get a good feel for the game, to know when to be aggressive, and when to be patient. This is tough for a 23-year old kid who is one the verge of being one of the best point guards in the game. This series will show if Westbrook really is a top-5 point guard in the NBA. Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook are going to be key factors in determining who holds up the Larry O'Brien trophy. If Wade can find his rhythm early, it will be huge for Miami. If Westbrook knows when to be aggressive, and when to get others going, it will be significant for Oklahoma City.
X-FACTOR
I think we all know who the X-factors are in this series. James Harden and Chris Bosh. We saw how important Chris Bosh was for Miami in game seven. With Wade, James, and Bosh on the floor in games six and seven, Miami was close to a +50 point differential against the Celtics. I think it is safe to say they are the big three, and the genius's who claimed Miami two-and-a-half, can now admit they were crazy for even saying that. Chris Bosh is a very important player for Miami. Oklahoma City has a scary big three too. The thing that makes their big three even scarier is these guys are all under 24-years old. Oh my, how the rest of the NBA is nervous after seeing how the Thunder have played during these playoffs. Especially, with the way James Harden played this year, and how amazing he has been in the playoffs, it is a scary time for the rest of the league. The beard is fearless. We all remember game five. The Thunder up 103-101, with :30 seconds left, and the shot clock winding down, Harden steps back, feet behind the line, BAM! Nothing but net. See ya later San Antonio. Who's next?!?!
James Harden has been one of the Thunders' most important players in the playoffs. Harden is averaging 17, 5, and 3 during the playoffs. His shooting has been lights out. He is shooting 45% from the floor, 45% from long range, and 87% from the free-throw line. If the beard is playing at a high level, this team is very tough to beat. Just like Durant, Harden is money down the stretch. This is huge for Oklahoma City because this gives them two viable options in crunch time. Westbrook is still a capable player to knock down big buckets, but Harden and Durant have been more consistent down the stretch. Head Coach Scott Brooks depends heavily on Harden's game. He is such a versatile player. He can run the point. He can play the two. He can play the three. He can get to the bucket at ease. He can knock down the perimeter jumper consistently. He is an outstanding defender. He is never scared of the moment. The guy really does it all. If James Harden plays like he did in the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder are going to be hard to beat in a seven game series. The production between Bosh and Harden will be a vital match-up in determining who wins this series. Both these guys are crucial. Bosh helped Miami come back from a 3-2 deficit to beat Boston. James Harden helped lead the way knocking off the hottest team in the NBA. Both of these guys are huge X-factors in this series. Whoever plays better between these two could decide on who wins and who loses.
ROLE PLAYERS
It always seems that whoever holds up the Larry O'Brien trophy, is because their role players stepped up. Last year, the Mavericks had a ton of role players step up. Miami didn't. You can trace back the history of past Champions, and almost every time, it was because the winning teams' role players, outplayed the losing teams' role players. This is going to be the biggest factor once again on who wins it all.Miami has seen their fair share of role players step up during the playoffs. Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, and Shane Battier are averaging 27.7 points/game combined. This is huge for Miami. If James, Wade, and Bosh can average around 70 points/game combined, they will be just under the century mark.
Furthermore, it will be important for Miami to get good minutes from Udonis Haslem. Oklahoma City has the edge in length, so it will be crucial for Haslem to get good space inside, to help rebound. Against Boston, Haslem averaged 9.3 RPG, and they will need him to keep it up against OKC. If Miami wants to win this series, it will be huge for these four guys to make an impact. The Thunder are the deeper team, so Miami's role players need to play well. Whether it is knocking down 3's, grabbing rebounds, making the extra pass, playing stellar defense, they will need to contribute somehow, if they want to bring home the trophy to South Beach. 
Thabo Sefolosha, Derek Fisher, Nick Collison, Daequan Cook, and Nazr Mohammed will all be asked to play certain roles in this series. Sefolosha will be asked to defend Wade and James at times. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game. He also showed he can score the rock too. Against San Antonio he averaged eight points/game and shot 35% from long range. Derek Fisher always seems to make a big shot in the Finals. I would not expect that to change. I could see Fisher knocking down a big three in one of these games down the stretch. Furthermore, even if Fisher does not contribute on the court, he still contributes a lot to this team, just with leadership alone. He has five-rings so the guy knows what it takes to win. Nick Collison will be asked to play good defense and grab rebounds. This guy never gets any love, but he is one of the smartest players in the game. He does everything that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He is a coaches dream. Daequan Cook and Nazr Mohammed will be extra credit for the Thunder. If Cook can knock down some open three's that would be icing on the cake. Mohammed will be asked to come in if Perk or Ibaka get into foul trouble. Expect Mohammed to dish out some hard fouls if Miami elects to bring the ball to the cup. PREDICTION
I keep going back and forth on this one. Miami finally showed they can step up when they need to. That was something we didn't see from Miami in the NBA Finals last year. Oklahoma City has shown they are no longer the inexperienced group they once were. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden have matured before our eyes this postseason. This is going to be one sensational finals. Miami's big three vs. Oklahoma's big three could very well cancel each other out, so the NBA Finals could once again come down to role players. I give the edge to Oklahoma when it comes to role players. When you compare Ibaka, Perkins, Fisher, Collison, Sefolosha, and Cook to Chalmers, Haslem, Battier, Miller, and James Jones, the Thunder have the edge. I see the Thunders' role players being a huge factor in this series.
However, if Lebron James plays like he did in the Eastern Conference Finals, it gives Miami a good chance to win this series. When he is playing at that level, the Heat can beat anyone, no matter where they are playing. James has struggled in the Finals in the past though. He has never scored more than 25 points in 10 career Finals games. I see this changing. Lebron James has finally seemed to just have fun out on the court without thinking so much. You could sense James put too much pressure on himself during the NBA Finals last year, and it clearly affected his game. If James just goes out and plays ball, without over-thinking, he will put up gaudy numbers, like he has during the playoffs. The question is will it be enough to overtake a Oklahoma City team that is rolling right now.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden have become the most dangerous trio during the playoffs. They are averaging 67.1 PPG, 18.2 RPG, 13.1 APG, and nearly 5 SPG collectively. Miami's big three has been right there too, but their numbers are a little harder to go by because Bosh missed 9 games. They are putting up 67.4 PPG, 21.5 RPG, 10 APG, and just over 3 BPG. The one significant difference between these trio's is how they play down the stretch in close games. Oklahoma has proven to be the best team in the playoffs during the last five minutes in tight games. Miami has still had their struggles in close games. In Miami's 12 playoff wins they have won by at least eight points in 11 of them. The only win they had in a close game was in OT against Boston in game two, with Boston's most clutch player, Paul Pierce, fouling out with :47 seconds left in regulation. Not too satisfying if you are a Heat fan. You better hope the Heat have a comfortable lead against the Thunder in the 4th. Miami lost close games down the stretch against the Knicks, Pacers, and Celtics. Once again, this was against a Knicks' squad that had no identity, a young Pacers' bunch, and a Celtics group that hit E on the gas tank.
In eight of the 12 wins for the Thunder they dominated the last five minutes of the game. Three times against Dallas, twice against the Lakers, and three times against San Antonio. When you look at the championship credentials of these three teams, it is truly remarkable how the Thunder have dominated in crunch time. They went through Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and San Antonio's big three. That is 16 rings combined if you're counting at home.I see this series being very competitive and close down the stretch. This is where I give Oklahoma City the major edge. This, along with the Thunders' role players, and home court, will be the deciding factors in the series. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden will outplay Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh when it matters most. Miami will once again wonder what went wrong this summer.
Kevin Durant's legacy starts at age 23, five years younger than the best basketball player to ever lace them up, Michael Jordan.
OKLAHOMA CITY IN 6
-BLOG UPCOMING RECAPPING THE 2011-12 NBA SEASON AFTER THE NBA FINALS
No comments:
Post a Comment