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| With the 2-3 deficit , the Spurs are officially "fearing the Beard" (Photo by Getty Images) |
The young and athletic Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from their first NBA Finals. They have a great chance to finish the San Antonio Spurs at home where they are 7-0 in the playoffs. The Thunder have won 3 straight and the Spurs have lost 3 straight after winning 20 consecutive games. All the momentum is on the Thunder and all the doubts are with the Spurs. It's not over for the Spurs yet and they can definitely win tonight and win Game 7 at home but the Thunder appear to be the better team and they have 3 players who can take over the game. Even the role players (Thabo, Perkins and Ibaka) have improved their play while the Spurs bench have sputtered. Coach Poppovich even started Manu because he felt the series slipping away. It helped in Game 5 when Ginobili was on fire but it was not enough.
#Young3
It's very possible that Kevin Durant will win his first championship (maybe more) over LeBron James. Im sure LBJ would love to trade his MVP trophy for another shot at a ring. The Thunder 3 are all playing magnificent at this time. Sure, Westbrook still takes too many shots but that is needed so that he remains engaged and focused. When Russell shoots, that forces the Spurs and Parker to keep guarding him which leaves Durant and Harden single coverage. KD has been super efficient with his shot selection and his uncanny clutch shoothing in the 4th quarter have propelled the Thunder to 3 wins. Meanwhile, their best playmaker, Harden has fought Manu Ginobili to a standstill and he even delivered the clutch shots in Game 5. This could very well be the changing of the guard in the West. This is just the beginning for the Thunder.
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| More than the Truth will hurt if the Heat fall to the Celtics (Photo by Getty Images) |
#ECF #NBAfinals
The Conference Finals have mimicked each other until game 5. If the Thunder win Game 6, then it's quite possible that the Celtics finish the Heat on Thursday. Even if the Spurs force a Game 7, the Celtics have a bigger chance of closing the Heat since Miami has only won once in 8 games over the last two seasons in Boston. That lone win came last year in the playoffs when Rondo was playing with one arm. Rondo is obviously healthy and dismantling the Heat so the odds are not favoring the Heat. The Celtics have taken over the series and they are doing it with teamwork, intensity and effort. The same cannot be applied to the Heat who settled for jumpers when KG was on the bench, jogged back on defense (Wade a lot), chirped at officials for fouls and played too many isolation sets (coaching staff). The Heat are falling apart and it's quite possible that this team will be broken up next season. So much potential but very little success.
#Big4
Rajon Rondo owns the Heat. On a night where he scored very little, he still dished out more than 10 assists. He handled the tempo very well and he orchestrated their plays to perfection. He pounced on every loose ball going his way and he showed hustle in his 44 minutes. If only the Heat could do the same, then maybe they would be up 3-2. The Big4 of the Celtics have outplayed the Big 2 of the Heat and it's no surprise that the Celtics are almost in the Finals. Kevin Garnett has defied his age and is playing spectacular. His perimeter shots are falling and his defense has bothered the Heat. Ray Allen is playing hurt but he can still make the occasional trey and his foul shots were flawless in Game 5. Paul Pierce is clutch. His dagger three probably finished the Heat. Im not so sure that Miami has the mental toughness to bounce back. All the pressure is on Miami, just like last year in the Finals. We all know what happened there.
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