NBA Conference Finals Preview

NBA Conference Finals Preview

Western Conference Finals

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (1) San Antonio Spurs

This is what it has come down to. The two teams (4 really) that were supposed to meet in the conference finals, have forced their way in. Really we should have seen this coming. Throughout the last few years, the Thunder have been dominant, only waive ring

when Russell Westbrook caught the injury bug. The Spurs have not stopped winning for over a decade, and are fresh off a near world title. While both teams have put up a big number in the wins column for the last few years, they have taken separate paths to this point. The Spurs, are led by the best coach in basketball, possibly the best ever. Greg Popovich can take players like Patty Mills and Danny Green and make them KEY rotation players. He will add a Boris Diaw in and maximize his skill set so much so that Diaw has become a pudgy jack of all trades. Scott Brooks on the other hand is a garbage coach. He runs garbage "plays," starts garbage players (Perkins) and somehow can't maximize any of his players' main skill sets. Smooth shooting, lanky defender Jeremy Lamb somehow can't see the floor! Perry Jones was once considered a lock top 5 pick for having a great skill set, Brook can't even use him. This all works though, becuase despite Brooks' shortcomings, the Thunder have Kevin Durant and Westbrook; an MVP and genetic FREAK. This is just another example of how different these teams are from each other. The Spurs rely on great ball movement, spacing and taking smart shots. They are the best in the league at it and have basically revolutionized offense in the NBA. OKC on the other hand, relies on pure athleticism, having one of the best scorers ever and Russell Westbrook bailouts. They get by because there is generally no way to cover Westbrook, which results in a lot of switches and confusion; a far cry from the near poetic scoring of San Antonio.
OKC swept the season series this year, but I expect this one to go 7 and though I know OKC gives Pop fits, I have to go Spurs. With Serge Ibaka out, there will be a lot of Perkins/Collison going on. Kawhi Leonard has a monster series and Spurs take it in 7.

BJ's Pick: Spurs in 7.
Catz's Pick: Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Miami Heat

After a long season full of twists and turns we get to the Eastern Conference Finals where the exact two teams who were predicted to make it, did just that. For the Pacers though, this was not an easy journey. They had to fight and claw their way through the last three months, getting a couple of lucky breaks in their first two rounds that have led them to this point. The Heat have done exactly what most people expected them to do, they ran through the first two rounds and look primed to make their fourth consecutive finals appearance! LeBron has been an absolute beast in the 

postseason with a PER almost of 33!! He has done everything that the Heat need in order to win the game and the series. The real question here is can the Pacers do enough to stop the defending champs from advancing to a rematch against the Thunder or the Spurs? The short answer? Probably not. The Heat are playing their best ball of the season, while the Pacers have done everything short of tripping on their dicks on the way to this matchup. I know what you are thinking, "but Catz, they have had some success against the Heat and took them to back to back game 7's!" Short answer, I don't give a shit. This is not the same Pacers squad, and LeBron has only gotten better the deeper we get in to these playoffs. I'm expecting the Pacers to steal a game, possibly even two if they can hit some buckets, but eventually the talent of LeBron is going to outweigh everything else and the Heat will move on again. 

Catz's Pick: Heat in 5!
BJ's Pick: Heat in 6