Thats my prediction


How do you NBA heads think that matchup would go?


Would Perkins completely erase Bosh?

Can LeBron guard Durant?

Heat would probably win.

Both teams like to run.

_________________

FavreFan vibe.

_________________

I think the Thunder can run with them.


I would favor the Heat too, but the Thunder is the only team I could see winning.


LeBron cant shut down Durant like he does Rose. And Bosh is not gonna avg 27 ppg against Perkins

I don't think this will be the Finals. But playing along...

Perk wouldn't erase Bosh. Ibaka would almost certainly guard Bosh because Perk can't really play more than 8 feet from the basket on either end. Ibaka would do a really nice job on Bosh if the rest of the team was holding up it's end with Bron and Wade and he didn't have to help.

Similar to Dirk, Durant is one of the very rare players with the size/skill set combo to beat LeBron on any given night. He's got more length than LeBron and is a tremendous shooter. I'm not sure anyone except Dirk and Durant have that. Durant would get his.

I think the whole series would leans on two things. If the Heat can play clutch basketball. If they can't, it's over. There will be too many close games. Second, whoever does the best between Westbrook and Wade. There'll be plenty of spots where they guard eachother, both are excellent on both sides of the ball(Wade is a little better on both ends). If Westbrook can match Wade I think the Thunder's bench gives them the edge.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

They match up well but Harden would be the x factor. I think the experience of the Heat would give them a slight edge. I would root for the Thunder.

_________________

Who you got coming out of the west?

Right now, the Heat are playing damn good ball, and I can't see the Bulls beating them in a 7-game series. So Heat in East (I hope Im wrong).

In the west, it's either going to be OKC or Mavs.

_________________

I am 97% sure the Bulls as currently constructed cant beat the Heat

I can agree with that. It's going to take a bunch of 40 point efforts from Rose to beat Miami in a 7 game series.

_________________

I just don't think the Heat are that great. They're obviously a very good team, but I think the Bulls are just as good as they are. I'd say it's 50/50 that the Heat win the East.

I like the Mavs and Thunder the most in the West, but I wouldn't be surprised to see either LA team or San Antonio make it either. Hell, even if Memphis gets a healthy Z-Bo back they could make a run. The West is so wide open. I think there's only gonna be maybe two teams on that side of the bracket that has no chance of making it.

I think the Thunder and Heat are slightly ahead of the other teams right now but not by nearly enough for me to think that there's a really good possibility of that being the Finals matchup.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Timberwolves coming out of the West

Still recovering from The Garnett Years

As much as I would like to see Derrick Rose and the Bulls beat the Heat in a Best of 7 series, I'm not all that confident that they can steal a game or two at American Airlines Arena, in spite of their really good road record. I can picture Miami stealing a game or two at the United Center, just like last year. I think the Heat's edge over the Bulls isn't just talent. I also think they have a psychological edge, too.

As for the Thunder, I really enjoyed watching Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook do their thing in an OT thriller over the Nuggets Sunday night. I look forward later tonight to see those two vs. the Lakers this eve in the second half of an NBA/TNT twinbill. As I tweeted myself yesterday, if the Bulls don't win the title this year, I'd be cool with Oklahoma City hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. I'm not so sure that ESPN/ABC bosses would be too thrilled with such a Finals' matchup.

more like recovering from the McHale years....

I don't think ABC would mind that matchup SHARK. I'm guessing Heat/Lakers would top their wish list but Heat/Dallas(rematch of last year's biblical Finals with Dirk reprising his David role) and Heat/Thunder(LeBron/Durant) would be just fine with them I'm sure.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Who signed Garnett's crazy deal?


We'll call them "The Kevin years"

Those were some bad years...

Thank god for that OJ Mayo draft day trade.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I believe at the time there were 30 GMs working in the NBA who would've signed that deal if put in McHale's spot.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

No way, he overpaid and bid against himself

The enormous size of Garnett's contract was considered, by numerous sports writers, a major cause of labor tensions between players and owners that led to a lockout which shortened the 1998–99 NBA season

i wouldn't even blame him so much for that but things like the Joe Smith fiasco...which again you could say other GM's might have done similar things but he's the one that got caught and being stripped of 3 draft picks, even mid/low 1st rounders, really hurt

I was thinking of the casual fan, FavreFan, who doesn't necessarily follow the NBA. ABC was hoping for a couple of years for a Finals' matchup involving LeBron & Kobe dating back long before the infamous "Decision" of the summer of 2010. It never came to fruition back then, and I don't think it'll happen now.

I agree, Garnett nearly ruined the NBA

I think we can officially change the phrase from casual fan to casual observer or something if someone isn't excited for a Durant/LeBron Finals. Not sure what else you could want from a finals matchup besides the two best players in the league against eachother, at the same position, with similar supporting casts.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

True.

I just don't have that much faith in the Thunder, though the West is pretty open for the taking. It's too easy for me to still see Westbrook shooting them out of games in the playoffs.

You need to get off Duncan's dick. That ship has sailed. They will be lucky to make it out of the 2nd round.

_________________

Moreso Pops than Duncan these days. Most HoF coaches tied to a HoF player usually fade when that player does. Pops is the truth.

But of course San Antonio has a chance. Through roughly 35 games they have been the 2nd best team in the West and they've played without Ginobli almost the whole time. The Thunder would obviously be favored but they can beat them and they certainly can beat any other team in the West in 7 games.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

They had the 2nd best record in the league last season and lost in the 1st round.

_________________

Yep. New season this year.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul