NBA Finals Preview and Game Picks 2012

Oklahoma City Thunder v Miami Heat

This looks an absolutely fascinating series and an ideal way to end the NBA season on a high as both of these teams go for the ultimate prize in the game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a young and vibrant team and should be full of confidence having beaten the Dallas Mavericks, LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs to get to the NBA Finals. The win over the San Antonio Spurs was very impressive considering they took the last four games in a row against a team that had not lost since April before then.

Miami have to overcome the disappointment of last season when they were beaten by the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, but they have a lot of experience and talent themselves. They were the favourites to get back to the NBA Finals this season and managed to live up to those expectations despite having to go to seven games to beat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron James has taken the Heat on his back during their run to the Finals and is playing at a great level, one that could make all the difference in him picking up his first ring. His battle with Kevin Durant will be great for the TV companies, but the series could come down to which one of those players can make the most of their abilities in the clutch.

Oklahoma City have the edge at the Point Guard position and I expect Russell Westbrook to dominate Mario Chalmers for the most part. Westbrook scores a lot more points than Rajon Rondo and we all saw how the latter cause Miami so many problems in the Eastern Conference Finals.

One key for Miami is to keep Chris Bosh healthy and hope he can contribute between 15-20 points per game so that the other role players in the Heat line up do not have to make the big shots that they had to in the series with Indiana and Boston. His presence will also open up things for Dwyane Wade and they will need him to get going if they are to keep up with the Thunder team that can score lots of points at will.

A problem for the Heat will be defending the three point shot, an area they have struggled with in the regular season, and they are facing one of the best shooting teams in the NBA. However, a lot of what the Thunder will do will depend on how their jumpers are working.

This is a really tough series to decide, but I think it is going to be entertaining and I do believe it will last at least 6 games.

Prediction: I just have a feeling the Oklahoma City Thunder will take this in 6 games, but I won't be surprised if the Miami Heat win either.

Picks

June 12th

Game 1 Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder Preview (http://goonersguide.com/basketball-pick-14436-Miami-Heat-at-Oklahoma-City.htm)

June 14th

Game 2 Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder Preview (http://goonersguide.com/basketball-pick-14459-Miami-Heat-at-Oklahoma-City.htm)

June 17th
Game 3 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat Preview (http://goonersguide.com/basketball-pick-14490-Oklahoma-City-at-Miami-Heat.htm)

June 19th
Game 4 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat Preview (http://goonersguide.com/basketball-pick-14508-Oklahoma-City-at-Miami-Heat.htm)

June 21st
Game 5 Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat Preview (http://goonersguide.com/basketball-pick-14520-Oklahoma-City-at-Miami-Heat.htm)




MY PICKS: 12/06 Oklahoma City Thunder - 5 Points @ 1.92 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
14/06 Miami Heat + 5.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
17/06 Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder Over 193 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
19/06 Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder Over 192.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)
21/06 Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder Over 193.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (2 Units)




NBA Finals: 3-1, + 3.64 Units


Conference Finals: 10-2, + 15.18 Units
Semi Finals: 10-11, - 2.40 Units
First Round: 17-8, + 16.68 Units