Post Game - NBA Finals - Heat vs Thunder

Miami Heat vs Oklahoma City Thunder

1. Will the lack of experience help or hurt the young Thunder team? - Before this series started I said one of two things could happen: Either the Thunder can go into this not knowing any better or they could start making big mistakes that would cost them a few games. Well I guess I have to take the latter on this one. This may have been the one thing on a checklist that the Thunder could not check-off: Experience. Some will not use this excuse, but I don't think its no longer an excuse, its a reason....well THE reason the Thunder lost in the NBA Finals.
2. Will last year's collapse against Dallas be enough for help the Heat win their 2nd Championship? - Well during their post-game celebration, everyone who played on this team all mentioned how embarrassed, disappointed and hurt they all were last season after the Mavs beat them for the championship. Last year's NBA Final helped the Heat in the sense that they learned from their miscues from that Finals and implied them to this year's Finals, thus being able to win it when it counts.
3. Which Big 3 will control this series: Wade, James and Bosh or Westbrook, Durant, and Harden? - Clearly the Big 3 of the Heat played the Big 3 of the Thunder as a whole throughout this series. For the Thunder, everyone didn't show up at the same time when counted the most. Someone needed to put a missing person report on James Harden simply because he did not show up for the majority of this series. Consistency was huge for the Heat big 3, thus this is why they are champions.
4. Which team will benefit the most from the 2-3-2 format in this series? - Well this is the 3rd time that the home team has swept the middle 3 games in this format. Of course, each team who's done this has won the championship. The Heat has done it twice 2006 & 2012 and the Pistons in 2004.

Next Up: The NBA Draft, Olympics, and the Off-season. Congratulations to the 2012 NBA Champions Miami Heat 

Down 3-1, Well The Series May Not Be Over Just Yet.......

When you're down 3-1 in a best-of-seven series in the NBA Finals, history suggests that you're toast!!! 30 times this occurrence has happened and 30 times the team who's up 3-1 went ring-shopping for the summer. However, I am here to tell why some would think that a team down 3-1 will have a chance to still win the series.

2012 NBA Finals (prior to Game 5) is 3-1 Miami Heat over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Most suggest that history will take its place and that the Heat will win game 5, thus the championship. Heat fans all over this nation will pretty much want this series to end tonight, just as the whole Heat organization. I am here to tell you why I have some doubt in the Heat winning tonight and possibly the series.

Since 1985, when the NBA implemented the 2-3-2 format, there have been 14 occurrences of a team being up 3-1 in the Finals including this year's series. Of the 13 times this has happened, seven times has the series ended in 6 games and six times has the series ended in 5 games.

I'll focus on 3 of the 13 series that I've mentioned earlier: 1993 Finals - Bulls/Suns, 1998 Finals - Bulls/Jazz and 2004 Finals - Pistons/Lakers. Of these 3 series, these are the ones in which the team with home-court lost the series while being down 3-1. As Game 5 scenarios with Thunder/Heat series in this year's Finals. I'll compare the 3 series from the past with this year's Finals series.

• 1993 Finals with the Bulls/Suns is a little different from the 2012 Finals. The Bulls, which started out on the road, actually won all three games in Phoenix, but lost 2 of 3 at home to the Suns. 
• 1998 Finals could be the closest comparison that would favor the Thunder in the 2012 Finals. The Jazz had home-court and lost game 2 at home to Bulls, before going to Chicago and getting smoked for games 3 & 4 before winning a close game 5 to force the series back to Utah. Thunder fans may like to hear this news.
• 2004 Finals could be the closest comparison that favors the Heat in the 2012 Finals. The Lakers we're the clear favors to win this title, kind of like the Thunder was mostly favored to win the 2012 Finals. One problem with this: The Lakers got smoked in 5. The Pistons won game one in L.A. and nearly won game two, before coming home and sweeping the middle 3 games to win the championship in 2004. This is would be the dream idea for the Heat to do in game 5 of the 2012 Finals.

Of the two series that went to game 6's, both of those where ended by historically great shots that will forever live as great moments of the NBA. Home records in the postseason of the team with the home-court advantage combined was 25-5. So the chances that the Thunder could come back in this series is pretty good too. Now the thing with history however could negate that probability

Game 5 could resemble one of these past scenarios, but in order to challenge history, one must win every single game. Could the Thunder win 3 straight games? Of course they can. Will history get into the way of the Thunder's chances? Of course it will......if one doesn't study history, you're domed to repeat it. In American sports over the last 100 years, only once has a team come back from 3-1 hole to win a series: 2004 Boston Red Sox, en route to "challenging history" and winning a World Series Championship for the first time in 84 years. It only takes one time to change history. Just ask the Boston Red Sox....

4 Quarters - NBA Finals: Heat vs Thunder

Miami Heat vs Oklahoma City Thunder

1. Will the lack of experience help or hurt the young Thunder team? - Well two things can happen with this question: 1.) the inexperience could be helpful for a young team like this because they don't know any better and thus will go into this as if "hey, we'll just do our thang" or 2.) the inexperience could undo this team to the point in which they start beating themselves and making way too many mistakes that will cost them a game or two in this series. 
2. Will last year's collapse against Dallas be enough for help the Heat win their 2nd Championship? - For the Heat, this could be the breakthrough they we're looking for. Unlike playing a team last season in the Dallas Mavs, who we're experienced enough when it came to playing the Finals. They will play a very inexperienced, young Thunder team that could just collapse under the pressure of the Finals, as did this Heat team did last year.
3. Which Big 3 will control this series: Wade, James and Bosh or Westbrook, Durant, and Harden? - This will be the biggest challenge that either Big 3 as faced thus far. Miami's 3 vs OKC's 3. This just turned into a 3-on-3 tournament. Miami's 3 would have an edge simply because those 3 have been here to this stage before. OKC's 3, is younger, much more confident than in year's past and this could be their time! This could turn into a new rivarly of sorts, considering that both teams will be together for least one more season after this year. I would have to say that Miami's 3 should feel a little confident about this match-up. But don't let it turn into a clutch shot fest, or OKC's 3 may have something to say on that.
4. Which team will benefit the most from the 2-3-2 format in this series? - This is the most confusing, yet compelling part of the post-season. The 2-3-2. The middle 3 games is the pretty much the series. In 27 years, only 2 teams have swept the middle home 3 games (04 Pistons and 06 Heat). Both teams won the championship as well. Some would have a feeling that this Heat club could do the same feat, but history says other wise. History could be the reason why the Thunder could be saved in this series and may have a real shot at winning this because of this format.

X-Factors: Lebron James and Kevin Durant.

Lets face it, this is only match-up of all in this series that truly matters. Scoring Champion vs the MVP. Both guys could really cement their legacy as big time historical players by winning a championship. For James, this is his 3rd shot at getting that championship. Some would say that this is James best shot at becoming a champion, so he'd better not drop the ball this time.

As for Durant, this is his first of possible many times making it to the NBA's big stage. So not too much pressure is on him to win, but then again he may not want that much pressure on his shoulders, so why not win one now and get it out the way. Whom ever can overcome the pressure of this stage and deliver the big time shots and big plays needed for their teams to be victorious, will be the one who walks away from this champions.

Series Prediction: This is very hard for me to choose, but I'll take Thunder in 6.

Post Game - Eastern Conference Finals - Celtics vs Heat

Celtics vs Heat

(Heat Win Series 4-3)

1. Can the Heat finally put to bed the "Big 4" of the Celtics Regime? - Well this was the final "road block" for this Heat team to get to the finals and how fitting was it to beat the "Big 4" of the Boston Celtics. This could very well be the end to what was a great 4-year run for these individuals who may be broken up after this season. 
2. Will Chris Bosh return this series to help out the Heat? - Bosh returned in game 5 and made a impact for that game and the rest of the series. He was rarely used in game 5, but as the Heat stared into the face of elimination, he was used more often as he returns from that abdominal strain. 
3. Can Ray Allen finally recover in this series from the ankle injury that sidelined him at the end of season? -Ray actually looked better then most would of expected. As the series progressed, so did Allen.
4. Under/Over: 60 ppg in this series that James and Wade can average scoring combined? - Under, but the last two game, Lebron James went off as he saved the Heat season.

Next up: A next to great series with the Thunder for the right to be 2012 NBA Finals champions

Post Game - Western Conference Finals - Thunder vs Spurs

Thunder vs Spurs

(Thunder Win Series 4-2)

1. Could this be the best Spurs team under the Popovich-Duncan Era? - On Paper, this was his best team. However, in results it wasn't. The Spurs lost in the Western Conference Finals for a second straight time and some would think that this could of been the Spurs last chance at winning another championship for years to come. Well for Popovich-Duncan era at least. Remember, father time is undefeated....ALL-TIME.
2. Will the Thunder take the step of being the new alpha team of the Western Conference? - With the Thunder advancing to their first NBA Finals (in Oklahoma City), this could be the first of at least a 2-4 year run of dominance in the Western Conference and possibly the NBA.
3. Durant/Westbrook vs Duncan/Parker - Well watching games 1&2, the edge went to the Duncan/Parker, but from that point on, Westbrook/Durant certainly took over and with ease. Durant took this game to new level, especially in game 4 when he was as clutch as a player could ever be in the 4th Quarter on this game. Westbrook made some huge plays too, but game 5 in the 4th Quarter, Russy made a huge shot to help out in this series too.
4. With this being 2012, can the Spurs win a championship in a even-numbered year? - Welp the answer to this is NO. History withstood a strong Spurs team who just a few weeks ago looked primed to win the NBA Finals comfortably. Now they struggle with the decision of what to do for their future of this promising team.

Next up: NBA Finals, where legends are made. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, this could be their time to write their names into the history book.

2012 NBA Finals Match-up will be.....

With both of the Conference Finals being tied up at 2-2 (as of Monday June 4th) I would love to see which storyline would be the most appealing to fans?? I'll give a brief overview of the possible storylines leading up to the NBA Finals, which will begin on Tuesday, June 12th.

• Heat vs Thunder: This maybe the most sexy match-up of the Final Four teams.
• Heat vs Spurs: This match-up could be the battle of team basketball vs Superstar power.
• Celtics vs Thunder: The main storyline to this could be one person who most wouldn't expect it to be, Kendrick Perkins faces his old team.
• Celtics vs Spurs: This could be the final big match-up between two future Hall of Famers: Tim Duncan vs Kevin Garnett.

Depending on how the rest of this week pans out, either of these match-ups should be good for the true NBA to watch for the 2012 NBA Finals.