Personally, I would go with the Thunder. Durant has played very well against Lebron this season. In fact, Durant has outplayed Lebron in the game which they won and was arguably just as effective as Lebron in the game that they lost. The point guard is also an advantage to the Thunder. Lebron cannot check Westbrook since he has to guard Durant, leaving Wade as their best shot at stopping OKC. Thunder's frontcourt has also caused problems for Miami. Ibaka and Perkins manning the paint would and has caused problems for Lebron and Wade. Not to mention they have Harden off the bench, a guy who could create his own shot.
Meh. Miami defense would dismantle either Durant or Westbrook (possibly both). You take one of the equation, you pretty much destroy the team (both Dallas and Memphis proved that, tho Memphis did not have the superstars to take over and win). I'll go with Dallas. Experience, great coaching, well balanced. Two future HOFers (one of which playing the best basketball of his career) and a very deep supporting cast. Should be a fun series.
Miami defense hasn't dismantled Durant nor Westbrook during the regular season, it was actually the other way around. Granted, it is regular season, but the Thunder did beat Miami pretty convincingly.
None. We're all haters if we say otherwise. IIRC, Durant wasn't all that hot in the game in which OKC lost. His line that game was 33 points on 7-20 shooting, 3-5 on 3-pointers, and 16-19 from the line. He added 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and only had 1 assist compared to 3 turnovers. LeBron, on the other hand, scored 23 on 7-14 shooting, 2-5 on 3's, and went 7-11 from the line. He added 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. However, I think KD outplayed LeBron in the game in which the Thunder won. He took all the stats except for rebounds and blocks, and he only had 1 fewer rebound (8-7) and had 1 block like LeBron. They both played 40 minutes, they both took 21 shots, they both took 3 3-pointers. KD won the points battle 29-19, shot 12-21 compared to LeBron's 8-21, made 2 3's while LeBron missed all 3, and had 6 assists to 1 turnover compared to LeBron's 3 and 1 turnover.
apparently it was the bulls and their interior defense, supported by the fact that the bulls won all the regular season games. guess we know how that turned out
Lakers or Mavs Mavs look like a good matchup. smart PG, bigs that can control the paint, a dominant go to player, can play big/small, many three point shooters, versatile defenders, and a deep bench.
Celtics matched up well against the Heat in the regular season too and got their ass whipped by the Heat in the playoffs. Lakers matched up well against the Mavs in the regular season too and got raped by the Mavs in the playoffs. Regular seasons records mean nothing. Plus who in the hell from the Thunder can slow LEbron and Wade?
Russel Westbrook will be the FMVP ===> for Miami, he will lock KD in the offensive end, just like how he helped Dallas won the series.
OKC if they were more mature and had a better coach. After the Heat snapped out of their slump, OKC went to Miami and convincingly beat them, which was their only loss during a 10 game span. They shut down the paint like few teams could. Except for KD, OKC's offense was complete trash but they controlled the paint and the boards while keeping TOs down. It was a very ugly game. The play of the game was Wade's pathetic celebration on a dunk. Don't count the Mavs out. If they defend well, I predict they will beat Miami.
OKC would have the same problem against Miami they had against Dallas -- didn't have the maturity to stay focused when the pressure came. It'd have to be Dallas or the Lakers. The Lakers didn't seem to have their chemistry right, which is precisely why the Mavs are the ones that get to try, and not LA. It'll be a tough series and I think both teams have a reasonable chance of winning it.
I think we've seen in the last two rounds how strongly Miami's regular season performance against a team correlates with their playoff performance against the same team. And the teams split the season series, it's not like OKC dominated them.
If Bynum and Gasol and Kobe were healthy, Lakers would have been the perfect foil, Bosh and Gasol would have canceled out, Kobe and Wade would have canceled out, and Odom/Artest combo would be a pretty good D against LBJ. That would leave Bynum against Joel Anthony, and the Laker's weak point Fisher wouldn't be exposed since he would be going up against Chalmers. Aside from that, I think Celts pre deadline would be another tough matchup for the Heat, since Perks and KG would be so good against perimeter offense and bosh. I don't think the Dallas can stop the heat from claiming their first title this year, unless Dirks plays at an even higher level. Dallas isn't really stacked, just like the bulls they only have 1 elite offensive threat and a bunch of role players. Barea and Jet tore through the inexperienced Thunder defense, but Wade and LBJ are a different story.
Mavs. I don't know why people just assume that the Heat will beat the Mavs. I'd say either the Mavs win in 6 or the Heat win in 7.
