Nearly two years ago three of the biggest NBA free agents to hit the market in years decided to play together on the same team to achieve a common goal—win an NBA title. After a difficult first season in South Beach, their time has come.
With the finals starting Tuesday here are four reasons why LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Heat should be able to handle the young Thunder and take home the championship.
1. Kevin Durant will be guarded by LeBron James.
There are some great players in the NBA, but three-time MVP LeBron James currently stands head and shoulders above the rest. That includes three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant.
The team with the best player doesn’t always win but usually when a superior defensive player, like James, matches up against a team’s best scorer, like Durant, it spells trouble for the scorer and his team.
Not everyone knows that LeBron James has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First-Team each of the last four seasons as most of his highlights are on the offensive end. While James is every bit the offensive player that Durant is on one end, the much lighter Durant will struggle to stop James on the other end. The task will only get more difficult as the game wears on as Durant will tire of working against James on offense.
Who will the Thunder turn to at that point? The Thunder’s shot-blocking power forward Serge Ibaka, who swatted away a league-high 3.7 shots per game this season, will be needed to guard Bosh. Meanwhile defensive-minded guard Thabo Sefolasha will already have his hands full with Dwayne Wade. Durant is the only logical choice and he will have to play the series of his life—on both ends of the court—for the Thunder to prevail.
2. Russell Westbrook is not the distributor the Thunder will need.
The help Durant will need on the offensive end is a point guard who will get him the ball where he needs it when the situation calls for it. Russell Westbrook is a very talented point guard, but he’s not that kind of distributor.
Against the Spurs, the younger, faster, and hungrier Thunder overwhelmed them with their one-on-one matchups. The aging Spurs play good team defense but don’t have the individual defensive talent they once had to keep up.
Meanwhile the Heat was pushed to the limit by a slower Celtics team that was kept alive by a great ball distributor in Rajon Rondo. Westbrook’s passing in this series will be key.
3. Chris Bosh looks fully recovered.
Bosh’s return was a big reason the Heat won. Kevin Garnett had to respect his outside shot and with Garnett out of the lane, James and Wade had little resistance once they blew by their defenders. Bosh hit three out of four 3-point attempts, most of them coming after Garnett had been lured away from him and into the lane for help-defense purposes.
If Bosh is able to camp out on the 3-point line against Oklahoma City the Thunder’s best interior defender, Serge Ibaka, will be in the same dilemma Garnett was in.
4. LeBron James is locked in.
LeBron James put his neck—and his legacy—on the chopping block for Miami amid a frenzy of criticism two years ago by bolting Cleveland for greener pastures. When the team had its back against the wall in Game Six against Boston, James showed he would not let the Heat lose. A stone-faced James did everything—and more—in hitting 19 of 26 shots from all over the court in a variety of different ways to keep the Celtics at arm’s length the entire way and move the series back to Miami. The Thunder will find the same resolve if they dare take the lead.
Prediction: Heat win in six.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
