NBA Playoff Predictions 2012: Young Teams Will Usher in Changing of the Guard

The Boston Celtics and the Big Three won an NBA championship in 2008. The Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and San Antonio Spurs led by Tim Duncan have quite a few in recent years themselves. Dirk Nowitzki finally got his title with the Dallas Mavericks last season.

But not this year. This postseason, the young guys take over.

The changing of the guard begins now.

Derrick Rose's torn ACL may have ended the Chicago Bulls' championship hopes, but it certainly paves the way for a second-straight berth in the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat.

Though the Celtics will be a tough out for Miami Thrice—they always are—LeBron James and company proved last season they could handle the veteran Celtics in the postseason, knocking them out in five games.

The road in the West won't be easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the young guns out West are primed to make a championship run this season.

They've got Dirk and the Mavs waiting in Round 1, and could have to go through both the Lakers and Spurs in their path to the NBA Finals.

And I think they'll do just that.

Sure, Dirk and Kobe are always good for a series win or two. Sure, the Spurs are the deepest team in the league.

But none of those squads have the explosive scoring arsenal the Thunder can boast, with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden all capable of filling it up.

And with improved low-post players in Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka and solid contributions from the bench, the Thunder are a complete team, and one to be reckoned with.

So make your last stand, old guard—the new kids on the block are coming. And when Durant and the Thunder win the title this year, consider it the first season in the NBA's new world order.

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