Jan. 17, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) shoots over San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Now that we’ve gotten past the first round and are midway through the second round, the NBA playoffs are starting to get heated, and each series is tied 1-1. This means that each of them are going to a game five, possibly and likely game sixes. These are eight teams that want the championship and are willing to do anything. Teams that have magic on their side are the Warriors, Grizzlies, and the Bulls. It’s going to be tough for all of those teams, but again, they’ll do whatever it takes.
With that being said, it’s not hard to predict which two teams will provide for the most exciting playoff series. There are a few dream matchups that fans will want to see, but unfortunately, only one of them is possible. Let’s see how it could go down.
Oklahoma City vs Miami:
This is pretty much self-explanatory. Whatever Metta World Peace did to get better after his meniscus tear, I’m sure Russell Westbrook is going to try the same thing. With that being said, this automatically gives the Thunder their second best player and a league’s top point guard back. The Thunder aren’t struggling, but are seemingly doing worse than before. On the other hand, Miami is dominating all their matchups, except Chicago which they may have some trouble getting past.
The Thunder have Kevin Durant, a superstar that everyone loves to see in action. Fortunately for them, they have all the hype to make it to the conference finals and on to the real finals. We know that the Heat also have the hype as well. Seeing these two teams battle it out in the Finals is a dream for NBA fans, because once again, we will see two of the top scorers in the league go at it.
Golden State vs New York:
It’s a bit odd to think that Stephen Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, has the highest amount of points amongst any NBA player this season. It’s only odd because quite frankly, he’s a Warrior, and his team still lost that game. Then again, they did whoop New York in Oracle right after that. The Warriors/Knicks series was tied 1-1 in the regular season, and although it may not be the most desirable matchup, it’s certainly the most entertaining.
The Warriors and the Knicks are two of the most explosive teams offensively. If it’s not Carmelo Anthony, then it’s Jr Smith, and if it’s not Curry, then it’s Klay Thompson. Both these teams have unlimited offense, and it’d be fun to see them battle it out. They still, however, have to get past the Thunder and the Heat, making this an unlikely matchup.
Oklahoma City vs New York:
Again, the Knicks and the Thunder both have good fanbases, and they’re two teams that would love to go at each other in the finals. Not just because they’re two entertaining teams, but because of the obvious fact that Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, the top scorers in the league would go head-to-head with each other and continue to attack. It would be an absolute show watching them attack each other, especially when Kevin Durant gets to Madison Square Garden. Agree with me here!
San Antonio vs Miami:
Finally, the second most desirable matchup is the Spurs vs the Heat. Early in the season, the Spurs were fined 100,000 dollars for resting their starters against Miami. The Spurs, however, were able to mount a terrific game behind Gary Neal and Kawhi Leonard, and almost beat the defending champions on their home court. That’s pretty weird if you ask me. The game could have been completely different if Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were active, but still, it’s interesting to see what could have happened.
This would be a very entertaining series because both teams are playing for something. For the Spurs, they’re playing for one last championship before they go into their period of rebuilding. The Heat, along with LeBron James are trying to get some more respect by proving they could win back to back championships, and look to three-peat.