Round 1...Young Guns

Despite a slow start for the Oklahoma City Thunder, they got on track in just enough to time to pull away from the Miami Heat in game 1 of the NBA Finals.

If you thought OKC would've been rattled or had any jitters, you were wrong. Maybe in the opening minutes of the game, that was all. The Thunder eased their way back into the game and eventually took the lead and never let it go. Kevin Durant was just....sensational. There were points in the game yesterday when I just watched him. You would think, well you would be watching him anyway. What I mean is, I only watched him. I watched everything he did on the offensive and defensive end. Kevin is a silent leader.He doesnt say much, but he is a leader. When things werent looking good for some stretches in the first half yesterday, you could look at him and see how calm he was. He picked his spots to score and when it was money time in the 4th quarter, KD turned into the Durantula.

KD finished with 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. All this while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from the 3 point line. Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple double by droppin 27 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers. The scary part about OKC winning this game is that, 6th Man of the Year James Harden only had 5 points. If he gets rolling, along with KD and Westbrook, this could be a long series for the Heat. Game 2 is tomorrow night at 9:00 on ABC.

THUNDER VS HEAT #NBAFINALS

The NBA Finals are finally here. This will be one of the most watched Finals in NBA history I'm sure. I can give you 2 reasons as to why this will be the most watched; LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

What a better way to end the NBA season. You have the top 2 players in the league battling head to head to win a chip. 3 time scoring champ versus 3 time MVP. If that doesn't get you amped, I don't know what does. The energy and electricity that will be in Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight will be at an all time high. There will be lots of offense in this series, a lot of highlight plays, and some last second shots.

Ive rooted for both teams all season long. I said at the end of last season that these two teams will meet in the NBA Finals this year. Well, the time is here and i cant root for both teams now. I can sit back and watch two superstars go at it for 48 minutes every game. There are so many different match- ups and line- ups we will see in this series, it gets your wheels turning if you re a basketball junkie. It almost makes you feel like you are about to coach. As a Thunder fan, you probably sitting there trying to figure out how deep Scott Brooks will go into his bench, or how many minutes KD or Westbrook will play. Or, as a Heat fan you probably thinking, is DWade gonna show up in the first half or is the bench gonna give good minutes and produce. Its a lot to think about.

So, its prediction time. Oklahoma City has shocked the world i think. Not that they've made it to the NBA Finals, but the fashion they did it in. It didn't surprise me though; when you have a talent like Kevin Durant who eat, sleeps, and drinks basketball and can lead a team, its not hard to believe. James Harden will play a huge roll in this series and will probably play starter minutes even though he comes off the bench. Miami has LeBron, D.Wade, and Chris Bosh. The only question is, will the role players produce? It doesn't necessarily have to be points, maybe play good defense and muck the game up a little bit and cause OKC to struggle on offense, that way the score can stay close. But, I give the Miami Heat the edge because of the experience and also I feel they have something to prove. Not saying OKC doesnt, but LeBron has a chip on his shoulder and I feel that Dwyane Wade will be ready for the entire game, not just the 4th quarter. With that said, the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in 5 games and will be the 2012 NBA CHAMPIONS!!!

BEAST OF THE EAST

They say 3 times a charm. Well, it was definitely a charm for the LeBron James and the Miami Heat as they advance to the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight year.

The Heat and Celtics went the distance in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Heat prevailed and are headed to the NBA Finals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. LeBron had 31 and 15; D.Wade had 23 and 6; and the x factor Chris Bosh played the best game possible after coming back from injury. He had 19 points and 8 rebounds, including three 3 pointers. Shane Battier also chipped in with 12 points, with timely 3 pointers in the 4th quarter. For a while you had a feeling the way the game was being played, you thought the Celtics would close the game out, but then you could see the tired legs and Miami's "BIG 3" completely take over the game.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh scored the last 31 points of the game for the Heat. Including all 28 in the fourth quarter. The three stars came together last season with the hopes of winning a title together, copying the blueprint of the Boston Celtics when KG and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in 2007. Now they get their 2nd crack at it. Last year they didnt get it done against the Mavs and this year it doesnt get easier as they take on the young and very talented Oklahoma City Thunder.

KING JAMES

Words can not describe the performance LeBron James put on display last night in Boston. LeBron played like the 3 time league MVP last night. There was nothing the Celtics could do to stop him. Boston could've thrown the kitchen sink at LeBron last night and i don't think it would've mattered.

In a game where the Celtics were looking to close out the Miami Heat and head to the NBA Finals, things didnt go as planned. The Celtics were witnesses to LeBron James "silent" explosion. Let me explain what i mean by "silent." Throughout the ball game you can usually hear LeBron talking to the refs after a call or even to the other team at times. None of that last night, he just went out there got his 45 points and 15 rebounds like it was routine...did his post game conference with Doris Burke...went to the locker room...read his book...did his press conference...and ended it by saying, "Looking forward to game 7, see yall in Miami."

This was one of the most impressive performances ive ever seen. Its not just the fact that he scored 45 points. Its the stage he did it on. Down 3-2 in the series to a team completely capable of ending your season. On the road in a hostile environment, and you just go in there and crush the spirits of everybody in the arena. If Boston thought they were going to just show up and win, they thought wrong. The most jaw dropping play, had to be late in the 1st half when he took off and caught a tip dunk after flying in from the 3 point line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln3GSDPUzdg

Now the series shifts back to South Beach in the final game of the series. What should we expect from both teams...honestly, i couldn't tell you. This has got to be one of the most confusing games to predict. But, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Miami wins the game. I think Bosh will be the x factor in this game. Miami will get out to a fast start just like in game 6. Boston will make their runs, but it just wont be enough. Dwyane Wade will have a good game; close to a triple double, and LeBron will just be LeBron. The Miami Heat will advance to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals.

KINGS OF THE WEST

You can throw away the saying, "they're too young to win" or "its not time yet." The Oklahoma City Thunder made that clear as they slammed the door shut on the San Antonio Spurs to win the Western Conference Championship and advance to the NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant and company are headed to the NBA Finals. Lets just take a look back as to how the Thunder have reached the Finals.

• 1st round they swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks
• 2nd round they beat the Lakers in 5 games
• 3rd round they beat the Spurs in 6 games (winning 4 straight after being down 2-0)
• 4th round ???

Kevin Durant finally got his wish from his head coach Scott Brooks and played the entire game. A very productive 48 minutes. He finsihed with 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists. We can look at everything he did offensively, but thats expected. We know he can score the ball, but on defensive the kid played great. Late in the game, you saw him sprinting back on defense...giving up his body and taking a charge, snatching rebounds from his own teammates. KD was amazing to watch. It really made you think to yourself, can Kevin Durant...Russell Westbrook...James Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder possibly become a dynasty? Only time can tell. OKC awaits the winner from the Eastern Conference Finals between Miami and Boston.

TIGER BACK?

This past Sunday, Tiger Woods seemed to be back to his normal self. Tiger Woods got his 73rd win and ties Jack Nicklaus for career PGA Tour victories at the tournament that Jack built.

The U.S. Open starts in 8 days, and Tiger looks like he might have got his swing back. Making some impossible shots, and coming from behind to win...Woods looked like his old self. He won for the second time this year and moved to #4 in the world. This was the second time this year Tiger won in his final warm up before a major tournament. He won Bay Hill, but then tied for 40th at the Masters. The U.S. Open at starts June 14, and im sure he would be quite happy to take the game he palyed with Sunday to the U.S. Open.

LAST SHOT

Ill start in the west, with the Spurs who play tonight in Oklahoma City. This isn't just a must win game for  the Spurs; this is a they have to win. The Spurs went from being the hottest team in the league, by winning 20 straight games. 10 regular season and 10 post season games. At one point, people were starting to wonder if the Spurs would actually lose a game in the playoffs. I thought it was one of the most blasphemous things Ive ever heard. People were just in the living in the moment, and that's fine. But to think that the Spurs would sweep OKC to get to the NBA Finals, and then sweep either the Celtics or Heat was just asinine. Now do I think the Spurs can win tonight in OKC...yes; but will they win, NO.

The Thunder crowd is one of the best, if the not the best crowd in the NBA. The Spurs are a veteran team with a lot a playoff experience. You can never count them out, never. But in the past 3 games, no matter what the Spurs did to get the game close or even when they had leads late it the game, OKC found a way to get it done. That's what championship teams do, they find a way to get it done. Doesn't matter if its ugly, at this point in the season...a win is a win. I'm taking the Thunder tonight by 10. #ThunderUp

Now to the Miami Heat. *woosah woosah woosah* Ok, I think I'm good now.

The Miami Heat are in the same boat as the Spurs...one game from elimination. Here is a team that most expected and were picked to win it all this year. Right now, it doesn't look that way. After losing to the Celtics last night at home in game 5. The Heat now travel to Boston to play game 6 and possibly the last game of their season. Somebody outside of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade has got to score more than t-9 points. The Heat have been exposed this series. Doc Rivers has had an excellent game plan throughout this series. Although the Celtics lost games 1 and 2 in Miami, they have clearly outplayed the Heat. Boston has made all the hustle plays and gotten stops when they needed them. Miami plays in spurts, and right now as a team, they are not good enough to turn it on and turn it off.

A positive note for Miami is that Chris Bosh played in his first game after missing the last 9 due to an abdominal injury. I expect him to play anywhere from 25- 32 min in game 6. At this point, the Heat have to play desperate. Boston has nothing to lose right now. If they win the game, they go to the Finals. And if they manage to lose, then they go back to Miami for game 7 where I believe they would feel comfortable doing. Nothing scares this Boston team. Miami needs to play a flawless game to win tomorrow night. Im still sticking with my pick, with Miami winning the series, but It does not look good.