Does anyone expect any different than a Heat/Lakers final?

I expect OKC/MIA.

[QUOTE=bokes15]Agreed. No real inside presence. They really got away with a center rotation of Bosh/Haslem/Anthony/Bron/Miller/Battier. Basically they went small the whole series because the Thunder bigs don't really pose much of a threat in the paint. If they played the Lakers on the other hand they'd have their hands full with Gasol/Howard. And they'd also have less than favorable matchups with guys on the other side of the ball with Artest roughing up Lebron and Kobe probably having to take on D-Wade.[/QUOTE]

Of course OKC would be more favourable matchup but kobe/artest cant stop lebron/wade.Actually OKC wing defenders are better than lakers.Miami will have significant advantage against lakers wings.

Lakers advantage is the best big man duo since spurs duncan/robinson

I'm hoping for Heat v.s. Lakers, but I could do with seeing Heat v.s. Thunder part two.

Hope we get LA and MIA. OKC and MIA wouldn't be bad though.

Nuggets and Heat. Bookmark it.

[QUOTE=LosBulls][IMG]http://oi48.tinypic.com/2mn3aqx.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

:lebronamazed:

[QUOTE=arifgokcen]Of course OKC would be more favourable matchup but kobe/artest cant stop lebron/wade.Actually OKC wing defenders are better than lakers.Miami will have significant advantage against lakers wings.

Lakers advantage is the best big man duo since spurs duncan/robinson[/QUOTE]
People overrate the value of wing defenders, big time. No great perimeter defender is gonna "stop" a great offensive perimeter player when he's on. An "on fire" Kobe won't be stopped by say Thabo or Battier either. In the same way an "on fire" Bron or Wade won't be stopped by any ONE guy either. The job of the perimeter defender is just to contain the guy, try to get a hand in his face and if he's gonna pass you, force him in one direction or the other and if there's a great help defense behind you, it makes you look that much better. So a team like LA has solid perimeter defenders already but now they're gonna have Dwight and Pau in the paint to rotate and take away those easy lanes that Bron/Wade had against Boston/OKC.

In the East I think Miami is quite clearly the runaway favorite (as many have already mentioned). Barring a serious injury to one of the big three there's no reason to believe the Heat won't simply get better with a deeper squad and that championship confidence.

In the West, it's more wide open than a lot of people think. Here is how I see it as far as most likely to make the Finals:

The two favorites (with serious flaws):

1 Thunder
2 Lakers

The borderline contenders, mix of the new guard and the old. Teams with serious flaws and serious advantages that can put them over the top (superior coaching and veteran leadership from the Mavs and Spurs, and top flight talent for the Grizz and Clippers with coaching flaws):

3 Spurs
4 Clippers
5 Mavericks
6 Grizzlies

I honestly believe any of these bottom four could knock off the top 2 in a 7 game series (if healthy). And, with that being said, the Finals could be a combination of any of these teams and the Miami Heat (With the Heat in all likelihood coming out on top once again).

How dare you underestimate OKC....

[QUOTE=FinishHim!]People overrate the value of wing defenders, big time. No great perimeter defender is gonna "stop" a great offensive perimeter player when he's on. An "on fire" Kobe won't be stopped by say Thabo or Battier either. In the same way an "on fire" Bron or Wade won't be stopped by any ONE guy either. The job of the perimeter defender is just to contain the guy, try to get a hand in his face and if he's gonna pass you, force him in one direction or the other and if there's a great help defense behind you, it makes you look that much better. So a team like LA has solid perimeter defenders already but now they're gonna have Dwight and Pau in the paint to rotate and take away those easy lanes that Bron/Wade had against Boston/OKC.[/QUOTE]
I agree. People forget that 2011 Marion, Kidd, Stevenson were all able to contain and even embarrass Lebron and Wade.

[QUOTE=gasolina]I agree. People forget that 2011 Marion, Kidd, Stevenson were all able to contain and even embarrass Lebron and Wade.[/QUOTE]
LeBron played like a [()] ... that's the only reason they lost.

You do realize this, right? That one guy lost the series.

Dirk Nowitzki does. That's who.

[QUOTE=Money 23]LeBron played like a [()] ... that's the only reason they lost.

You do realize this, right? That one guy lost the series.[/QUOTE]

Thats because he's overrated and was outplayed by Marion.
'
That and Dirk going nuts is why the Mavs won.

[QUOTE=Deuce Bigalow]I'm expecting LAL/MIA.

But the popular consensus answer is usually always wrong for some reason. For example - 2011 was LAL/MIA,[B] 2010 was LAL/CLE[/B]. Neither happened.

I only see 4 possible Finals in 2013:
LAL/MIA
OKC/MIA
LAL/BOS
OKC/BOS[/QUOTE]
:(

[QUOTE=Money 23]LeBron played like a [()] ... that's the only reason they lost.

You do realize this, right? That one guy lost the series.[/QUOTE]
one of the few times I will agree with a sweeping statement blaming a whole series on one player