The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2014 NBA Playoffs as two of the strongest favorites for the NBA Championship. Up to now, they still hold this title and they have already shown their teeth. Although we still don’t know of the two teams will make it to the NBA Finals, it is interesting to examine which of the two powerhouses holds the upper hand in a potential rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals. Let’s break down.
Starters
The matchups in the starting lineups of the two teams seem to be close, very close. The Oklahoma City Thunder do have the MVP of the regular season, Kevin Durant, onboard but the best basketball player in the world is still LeBron James and he is wearing the Heat uniform. So we could say that the two megastars counterbalance each other.
The Thunder certainly hold the advantage at the point guard spot, where Russell Westbrook can outplay any point guard the Heat might throw on him. However, Dwyane Wade clearly wins the race at the shooting guard spot, as he is a much more quality player than Thabo Sefolosha.
Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins are obviously more sized than Chris Bosh and whoever Erik Spoelstra decides to start at the power forward spot in a potential matchup against the Thunder. When it comes to defense, the Thunder seem to hold the upper hand, as both Ibaka and Perkins are very capable defenders, who can not only guard their assignments but also barricade the paint. On offense, the Heat will use Bosh’s newly developed shooting skills to stretch the floor and if Shane Battier gets the call to start, he could also be a threat from downtown. The Thunder hold the slight advantage.
Sixth man
Ray Allen is with no doubt the sixth man for the Miami Heat and he has been a major factor for the Heat since he stepped foot in South Beach. Allen has delivered in numerous clutch situations through his two – year tenure in Miami and he is continuing to hit the three in great rates. Although the Thunder have some depth in their bench, they still haven’t found that third wheel in their offense. We could say that Caron Butler is their sixth man but with Durant and Westbrook dominating the offensive possessions, Butler or even Reggie Jackson don’t have that much of a big impact. The Heat win the race for the sixth man spot.
Bench
The Heat are using several players in their rotations but what’s most important than that is that they actually know how to utilize the strengths of each member. Players like James Jones, Rashard Lewis and Norris Cole can kill any opponent from the three – point arc, when James and Wade pass the ball in the perimeter. Chris Andersen is always providing a great boost off the bench. For the Thunder, the situation is radically different. Although there are some very capable players like Reggie Jackson or Nick Collison, who can play a decisive role in some games, the superstar duo is dominating OKC’s game and this trims their wings in a way. The Heat hold the upper hand in this sector, too.
In overall, we could fairly say that the Heat seem to have more chances to win the title if they match against OKC in the NBA Finals.
Ron Leyba is the content manager of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues – premier source of fantasy basketball updates, rankings and rumors. For more of his fantasy basketball updates, follow Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ account.