NBA Finals: Lebron vs Durant, Who Ya Got?

Let me start by saying that anyone who tells you their NBA Finals prediction with any certainty is a mororn. There’s absolutely no way, given compatibility and the ups and downs of these 2 team’s seasons, that you can do anything more than lean towards one team or the other.

Since Davis Stern failed to respond to any of my emails demanding that this series be changed to a best of 21, I guess we’re stuck picking the best out of 7.

I’m taking the Heat in 7. Partially because I can’t handle another 12 months of people saying ridiculous shit about LeBron James, but mainly because there’s something to be said about being the “nobody believes in us” team.

We see it all the time in sports—the Giants in last year’s Super bowl (and 2008), the Cardinals in last year’s World Series, the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s NBA Finals, we even saw it with both of these teams in this year’s playoffs. After gaining momentum in the 1st2 rounds, the Zombie Sonics went into the Western Conference Finals as the fan favorites to beat the Spurs. After losing the 1st 2 games, people opinion’s changed to the Spurs are just too good, OKC needs another year. The ZombieS responded by beating the breaks off the Spurs in the 4 games.

The Bosh-less Heat looked done after game 3 against the Pacers and again after losing game 5 to Boston. LeBron responded with 2 all-time great playoff performances.

People rally in all aspects of life when people doubt them, especially when it’s something that they’re really good at. In a series that’s as closely matched as this one, that’s my determining factor.

Everyone is picking the ZombieS over the Heat because they have the better team—which they do—but Miami still has the best player. I’m counting on Lebron to do the opposite of what he did in last years Finals.

The best player in this series?

Two things that are inarguable facts in the NBA right now—LeBron James and Kevin Durant are the two best players in basketball and Bron is better that KD. The way today’s microwave sports analysis goes—especially from the casual fan—that, along with the title, is up for grabs. LeBron is a better defender than KD, better facilitator, just better all around. But none of those things will matter if KD beats Bron head to head for a championship. I've come to terms with that simply because I realize the inevitability of it. Plus, with Durant’s growth over the past 6 months—specifically during the Playoffs, there’s an outside chance KD could overtake James for the best player sometime in the next 12 months anyway. So even if they're wrong, like we saw in the Pacquiao Bradley fight, if you leave it in the judge’s hands, stupidity can happen. Lebron needs a knockout. If you kill the head the body will follow only KD is the head and the fans are the body.

The Good Big 3 against the Bad Big 3

Every time someone uses the term “big 3” I want to slap them. Boston’s “big 3” doesn’t include their best player, Rajon Rondo. Miami’s “big 3” is a much more of a tapered tier from Lebron to Bosh. And when people talk about OKC’s big 3, I don’t even know who the 3rd guy is. I’m pretty sure most people are referring to James Harden, but Serge Ibaka is more valuable to that team. But the people calling this a matchup of stars grown “organically grown” verses stars put together “the wrong way” are off their rocker. Let’s just forget for a second that the 06-07 Sonics tanked to get either Oden or Durant. Russ and KD aren’t good guys for staying in OKC and LeBron isn’t a bad guy for leaving Cleveland. 

Durant signed an extension to stay in a great situation, with a lot of young talent around him where he could make more money than he could anywhere else. LeBron took less money to play for a team where he a realistic chance of winning a championship. He was never going to be able to win in Cleveland. He carried some really lousy teams as far anyone could have, they were never going to get a lottery pick with a healthy James on the roster and no marquee free agent, in any sport, has ever chosen to go to Cleveland. It sucks for people in Ohio but life isn’t fair, deal with it, stop hating LeBron for fabricated reasons.

As much as I love every single thing about OKC, that’s why I want to see Miami win. I’m tired of people saying dumb shit about what LeBron isn’t. After he wins a ring, MVP and Finals’ MVP in the same season, what can the Bron-bashers say? What are they gonna say then? They’ll just have to turn on Durant—or more likely Westbrook—until OKC wins the championship next year.