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Clearly, this is the most talked about storyline in the lead up to this series. The two best players in the NBA right now will go head to head and in a couple weeks one will win a ring. This is the second year in a row in the NBA Finals for LeBron and the Heat and he surely stands to lose alot more than Durant if he should happen to fail to be victorious. The pressure is going to be at an all time high for LeBron James but so far so good this year especially after his domination of the Celtics in the last two pressurized games of that series. The Thunder pose a different challenge. LeBron will face numerous bodies that are among the league’s best defenders. Sefolosha, Harden, Westbrook, and Durant himself will surely be guarding LeBron. The Heat need continue to incorporate nice actions where LeBron receives a flex screen and cuts into the low post for a quick catch and score or mid post isolation. If “aggressive LeBron” shows up to the games in this series then he should continue to climb the ladder of immortality.
On Durant’s side of the battle, he has been the most consistent player in the NBA Playoffs. He is shooting the ball at a high percentage. He has shown the ability to rebound as well as distribute the ball to his teammates. Most impressively, Durant has become the best player moving off screens from his screen-friendly teammates. The combination of a high release, a two foot quick stop, and making the correct reads of the defense makes him tough to guard. Definitely expect to see alot of switching and or the Ray Allen treatment for Durant, where he gets trapped off every screen. The Heat have plenty of bodies to throw his way as well, but Durant is the best scorer with the widest array of attacks. Durant outperforms LeBron and gets the win, he is looking at joining the super, super star elite at a young 23 years old.
In a selfish plea to both coaching staffs, please let these two guard each other and more over let them play 45 plus minutes a game. There is a maximum 7 games left in the season, with plenty of rest in between games. 48 minutes a game is a possibility for two of the most highly conditioned players in the league. Either way, these two players are some of the most consistent performers and they should not disappoint.
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