The Real NBA Finals

The Thunder and Spurs are in about to embark on a Western Conference clash for the ages.

 When Derrick Rose tore his ACL back in the first round series against Philly, it looked as if it was going to be straight smooth sailing for the Heat in the Eastern Conference, they were coming off a monster Game 1 victory over the Knicks and had no reason to believe they would be upset by the Pacers in the 2nd round or the Celtics/Hawks/76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. But then Chris Bosh tweaked his abdomen to such a serious point that he still remains in question for even the Finals. It was then that the attention turned immediately to the West, where thought we were going to watch the Thunder and Lakers go at it, and then watch that winner battle to the death with the Spurs. Yet, instead we sit here today and realize that the NBA Finals will be played over the next week in what will be formally known as the "Western Conference Finals." The winner determined in that matchup(either San Antonio or OKC) was already thought to be too strong for the Big Three's version of the Heat, but without Bosh, Miami has no chance, and neither do the Celtics, Pacers or 76ers.

The beauty in a Thunder, Spurs matchup lies in truly just the storyline. It's the hardened championship-tested veterans against the wildly popular and seriously talented upstarts looking to forge their own legacy silver lined with the word "dynasty." Both teams are at the apex of their game, and are making strong cases to why they should be crowned Western Conference Champs and eventually NBA Champions.

Oklahoma City is the hot ticket right now. They dismantled the Mavericks in a quick and orderly fashion and now they have the Lakers on the verge of extinct, but more importantly they have already beaten that locker room to shreds. Russell Westbrook, who is both their Achilles' heel and go-getter is currently playing some of the best basketball we've ever seen out of him. You know the basketball where he plays as a point guard and not a shooting guard. Ice water is coursing through Kevin Durant's veins. Serge Ibaka holds daily block parties. James Harden has made his case for sixth man of the year award. And finally Kendrick Perkins hasn't smiled since 1996 and along the way has made Andrew Bynum look like the schoolboy he is. The Thunder's youth, athleticism and tenacity is truly a beautiful sight. Yet the question remains: Can they keep this level of maturity up? Or will the wise and clever Spurs push them in the other direction.

A dynasty is coming to a close here in the 2012 playoffs. But, I'm not talking about the Lakers who are crashing and burning with clubhouse drama, I'm talking about the San Antonio Spurs who look poised to finish this fantastic run on one final high note. I could sit here and talk about how phenomenally efficient Tim Duncan is or how spectacularly clever Manu Ginobili is or how Tony Parker commands a basketball court, but it all doesn't matter. Without Gregg Popovich at the helm, this group of aging veterans would just be a group of aging veterans, most likely swallowed up in the first round thanks to the compressed lockout season. But the 2012 NBA Coach of The Year wouldn't let it happen, absolutely no way would he let it happen. Instead of fading into the sunset they're barreling toward what could be a fifth NBA title since 1999. Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all-time, a man that could control a locker room full of monkeys and a man who has a general disdain for losing and a serious penitence for championships.

I know there are still going to be some people who think that Bosh will return in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Heat will get right and get back on track. But I'm not even sure that I thought a fully healthy Heat squad could beat the Spurs and Thunder, who are just shredding the Western Conference, when it was supposed to be a "gauntlet." Unless these two squads beat each other up in the WCFs so badly that someone either gets seriously injured or they are just physically and mentally drained, there is no way a team from the East will beat either one. 

So while we watch the Thunder dispatch the Lakers tonight, just like the Spurs did last night, we will be on the precipice of one of the greatest Western Conference Finals in NBA history. A seven game set for sure, with most likely an NBA title on the way as well. Let us see just if it will be a smashing close to the NBA's latest dynasty or a explosive beginning to a new one.