NBA Finals Preview

The Durantula has finally reached his first finals. 

Will King James choke again? 

It's the final that the NBA has wanted all along. LeBron James and the Miami Heat getting his revenge, against a young and raw Thunder squad. Will Lebron D-Wade, and a supposedly healthy Chris Bosh win their first title together? Or will the Durantula and Westbrook start a new era? No matter the result, this finals will be one for the ages.

Team Comparisons:

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Mario Chalmers (MIA)
Chalmers is one of those basketball players, who pretty much is in the NBA because of one shot in college. Other examples include Eric Maynor. Chalmers is a solid player, but he doesn't compare at all to Westbrook. Westbrook is the Dwayne Wade to Kevin Durant's LeBron. Chalmers is decent, but Westbrook will outplay him in this series.
Edge: Thunder


Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha (OKC) vs. Dwayne Wade (MIA) 
Another unfair matchup, however this is one is towards the Heat. Wade may be the best shooting guard, with the exception of Kobe Bryant. He has playoff experience, while Thabo and Harden have just this past few seasons. Wade is a complete player, while you would have to add Thabo and Harden together to have a complete player. Sorry OKC, but Miami gets this one.
Edge: Heat


Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. LeBron James (MIA). 
The matchup of the series, maybe even the playoffs. Arguably the two best players in basketball today. The scoring champion against the MVP. If LeBron wins this title, basketball purists will finally respect him. If he doesn't, the general public will not accept him as a premier player. If Durant wins, he may even surpass LeBron as the better player. For now, LeBron is able to squeeze past Durant, but this could change in a couple years.
Edge: Heat 


Power Forward: Serge Ibaka (OKC) vs. Chris Bosh (MIA) 
This matchup, which had Chris Bosh been healthier would have gone towards Miami but now is pretty close. Ibaka is a very solid player who keeps on improving year after year. Bosh, the weakest member of "The Big Three", this season has struggled this season. When he's healthy, he can be great player. We will see what happens, but these two big men will fight it out this series.
Edge: Even 


Center: Kendrick Perkins (OKC) vs. Ronny Turiaf (MIA) 
Kendrick Perkins was a huge, (both literally and figuratively) signing for the Thunder. He has been a great post presence for them, and has allowed them to compete with teams such as the Lakers and the Spurs. Ronny Turiaf has somehow survived in the NBA for seven years without contributing much other than a couple boards and a few lay-ups per game. Kendrick Perkins has been to the championship twice. Perkins easily gets the edge.
Edge: Thunder 


Bench: 
Oklahoma City's bench is anchored by sixth man of the year James Harden. Harden has been a monster off the bench, and with the midseason addition of Derek Fisher, their bench became even stronger. The Heat's bench is not as strong. Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Udonis Haslem are solid, but it will be very hard to outperform the sixth man of the year and his squad.
Edge: Thunder 


The Pick: 
Both of these teams are very evenly match. . Some people may think LeBron may choke, and he might. But his missed shots might not matter. Durant, Westbrook and Harden could fast break past the heat. Or LeBron and D-Wade could work their magic. In addition,  Chris Bosh must perform, as well as Miami's bench. If they can't perform, the Heat will easily lose. It will be a close series, but the Thunder want it more. And this won't be their only one.
Thunder over Heat in 7 

Spurs vs. Thunder Preview

Having just swept the Clippers, Tony Parker and the Spurs will take on the number two seed Thunder. 

After beating the Lakers, the Durantula and  Co. will take on the Spurs. 

The Western Conference Finals will be a battle of the new generation of the NBA vs the old guard. The #1 seed vs. the #2 seed. Kevin Durant vs. Tim Duncan. Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio. Thunder vs. Spurs.

The Spurs come into this series having won 8 straight games in the playoffs. First blowing out Utah, and then decimating the Clippers. Counting the regular season, the Spurs have won an astounding 18 games in a row. The Spurs have been led by its two stars, Tony Parker and Duncan. Parker has been putting up 19 points per game, and 7 assists, and Duncan has been contributing a team high 9 rebounds per game.

OKC has come in hot as well. Beating the Lakers 4-1, in a series which could have gone either way, as the Lakers lost leads in multiple games. As usual, the Durantula has been dominating the competition for the Thunder. He has been scoring 26 points, and getting 8 boards per game. As usual, James Harden has been contributing off the bench, scoring 17 points in 30 minutes.

Team Comparisons: 


Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Tony Parker (SA)
Both of these players are superb. On one hand there is Westbrook, the Batman to Durant's Robin, and on the other, there is Parker. Parker, once a supporting cast member to Tim Duncan, has now officially had the torch passed to him. He led the Spurs in points and assists, and finished third in player efficiency rating on his team.He also had the best assist to turnover ratio in his career. There is also the young Westbrook. Westbrook has, willingly or not, been second fiddle to Durant. He has of course contributed, but let's be real, Parker is the star, and Westbrook is the co-star. It should be fun to see these two go at it come Sunday.
Edge: San Antonio


Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefelosha (OKC) vs. Daniel Green (SA) 
Well this is a rather interesting battle. Despite starting each game, both of these players play less than their better known sixth men; James Harden for the Thunder, and Manu Ginobili for the Spurs. Green averaged 8 points during the season, while Thabo averaged just 4. Green got a little bit more playing time, 23 minutes compared to Thabo's 21, and did more with his time. These two are just really on the court in order for their more famous backups to play, but Green gets the edge, as Thabo has been struggling this playoffs.
Edge: San Antonio 


Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. Kawhi Leonard (SA) 
Sorry Kawhi, but Durant just won his third straight scoring title. This playoffs, he has constantly helped his team when they desperately need him. And what you have done? You've been a good starter for the Spurs and could be a vital part of the next Spurs Dynasty. But for now, it's Durant's time to shine.
Edge: Oklahoma City 


Power Forward: Serge Ibaka (OKC) vs. Tim Duncan (SA)
Ibaka is one of the best young players in the game. He can score, block shots, get boards, anything you need. Oh, and he's also 6 foot 10 and 235 pounds. In the other corner, is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Tim Duncan, for years he has averaged a double. Until these past two years. Where he failed to reach double digit rebounds. Does that make him worse than Ibaka? No, it does not. Duncan has played and started in 184 playoff games. Ibaka has played in just 32. Duncan has experience, Ibaka doesn't. That's all you need to know.
Edge: San Antonio 


Center: Kendrick Perkins (OKC) vs. Boris Diaw (SA) 
Perkins has the experience, and was a great addition for the Thunder. Diaw is a little small, but is still a solid player. Neither of them score, but Perkins gets some boards. Neither will really be a large factor in the outcome of the games, but Perkins has won a championship, so I'll give this battle to him.
Edge: Oklahoma City 


Bench: 
Both the Thunder and the Spurs have great benches. The most intriguing battle of all on the bench, will be James Harden against Manu Ginobili. Both of these guys can score, and shoot lots of jumpers. The Thunder added Derek Fisher this season to help bolster their point guard position. Besides Ginobili, the Spurs have Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal, and Stephen Jackson. Because the Spurs have more depth in their bench, they should score more, but Harden can give Manu a run for his money.
Edge: San Antonio 


The Pick: 
Both of these teams, are really, really good. The Spurs have lots of experience in playoff games, and while the Thunder does as well, their two core players, Durant and Westbrook have never been to the finals. Parker and Duncan meanwhile, have won three championships together. This series will be really close, but the Spurs have experience in the championship, and no what it takes to win, and that should carry them over the Thunder.
Spurs over Thunder in 7