NBA Finals 2012, OKC Thunder vs. Miami Heat: Who Has Advantage at Each Position?

Now that the Miami Heat have closed out the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, it's time for an epic clash between the Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. 

So, who has the advantage at each position? 

This series will feature some of the greatest players in the game with talent just overflowing at four of the five positions, center being the sole exception. 

Moreover, a lot of these positional battles are going to be hard-fought and close throughout the series, as there isn't much of a talent gap between the two teams. 

Read on for a breakdown of each of the five positions. 

Point Guard

At point guard, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat throw out two of the most commonly criticized floor generals that the NBA has to offer. That said, they're criticized by two completely unique groups. 

Russell Westbrook leads the charge for the Western Conference representatives and carries with him the burden of overcoming the constant over-analysis and unjustified disrespect heaped upon him by fans unwilling to accept the value that he brings to his team. 

The dynamic point guard is one of the most athletic players in the league and plays with an anger that may stem directly from his unending need to prove himself. Westbrook makes an undeniably positive impact upon his team, even if it seems as though he's detracting from the potential impact that Kevin Durant can make when he decides to pull up for ill-advised jumpers early in the shot clock. 

However, for all the bad decisions Westbrook may make, opponents must play him in constant fear that he'll drive by them and dole out one hell of a punishment on the awaiting rim. That attention leaves Durant with less upon him. 

While the former UCLA Bruin may not play like a traditional "pure" point guard, he truly doesn't need to, and he's most effective when he's chaotically wreaking havoc on the court.

Westbrook will square off against Mario Chalmers, a relatively unheralded young point guard from another one of college basketball's blue bloods.

Chalmers has always had a knack for making the big shots, much like he did in the NCAA Championship game while he was under Bill Self at Kansas, but he doesn't need to do so on this team that features two of the league's absolute best players.

In fact, when he tries to do so, he often gets yells and eye rolls from Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Chalmers is very much the prototypical younger brother to the aforementioned duo.

At the end of the day, Chalmers simply doesn't bring as much to the table as Westbrook. He may hit some timely shots from downtown and occasionally go coast-to-coast, but he's not the difference-maker that his matchup can and will be.

Advantage: Oklahoma City Thunder 

Shooting Guard

At shooting guard, we'll have the pleasure of watching a battle between a two-headed monster and a one-headed juggernaut during the NBA Finals, with the former belonging to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the latter to the Miami Heat. 

Thabo Sefolosha typically starts at the 2-guard spot in the lineup for the young Thunder and gives them an elite, shutdown perimeter defender who can also free himself to knock down open shots from behind the arc whenever the need arises. 

There's usually a play or two each game when Sefolosha produces a highlight, either by earning a crazy steal or pulling down an offensive rebound and slamming it back down with authority for a well-earned two points. However, Sefolosha won't ever truly take over a game. 

The same simply cannot be said for the bearded and mohawked head of the monster. James Harden, the Sixth Man of the Year for the 2011-2012 regular season, has continued his stellar play throughout the postseason. 

Although he may flop a little too often (you would too with that follicular forest weighing down your chin), the sweet-shooting lefty can absolutely take over the game with his offense for prolonged stretches. With Eurosteps, three-pointers and the innate ability to draw contact and get to the charity stripe, Harden is one of the most dynamic scorers in this game.

However, quantity doesn't always trump quality. While Oklahoma City may have two uniquely talented shooting guards who complement each other quite nicely, the Thunder don't have the best player in the league at the position. 

The Miami Heat do, and his name is Dwyane Wade. 

Wade has suffered through a few prolonged slumps during the playoffs, but he's seemed to be hitting his stride lately, especially after a circus-shot-filled 23-point game in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

When No. 3 is feeling it—which more often than not, he is—the points tend to start flowing in bunches. Wade may not be able to hit the deep ball proficiently, but he slashes like no other and has some of the best finishing skills in the league. Plus, he wants the ball in crunch time. 

Additionally—and Wade may flop enough that we could witness the rare double-flop when he and Harden are matched up against each other—this shooting guard is an elite defender, making him a true total package at the position. 

Advantage: Miami Heat

Small Forward

This is the positional matchup that is undoubtedly going to provide the most highlights, the most media coverage, the most hype and the most grabs for your attention. After all, it's not too often that the two best players in the world are matched up against each other in the NBA Finals while playing the same position. 

Such is the case for LeBron James and Kevin Durant. 

While I'm tempted to simply write, "LeBron is the best player in the world. Let's move on," I know you want more than that. 

If the Eastern Conference finals haven't been enough to convince you that the knock on James' ability to perform in big moments was a giant misconception, one that overlooked quite a few huge moments in his career, then I'm not sure we've been watching the same postseason. Guarding multiple positions and scoring in each and every way realistically possible, James was easily the most valuable player in the terrific series with the Boston Celtics. 

At the same time, though, not enough compliments can be levied Kevin Durant's way for the heart and talent he showed against the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs, as he led the charge that ended a 20-game winning streak for the team in silver with a four-game winning streak for the team that's still alive. 

Durant may be able to score at a higher volume than LeBron, but he's more inefficient. He may have improved his skills as a facilitator while increasing his focus on the less glamorous end of the court, but he's not the best passer at his position and he's not the best defender in the league (arguably). 

LeBron is both of those things. 

Advantage: Miami Heat

Power Forward

While some of the other matchups are just as close—namely shooting guard and small forward—this one may be the most intriguing because of the opposite styles of the main players involved. 

The Miami Heat have the third member of the Big Three lining up at power forward, assuming that he can remain healthy and recover fully from his abdominal injury. After watching Game 7, it appears that Chris Bosh is absolutely back. 

Bosh might not be a terrific defender, but he's quite the offensive talent and gives the Heat an added threat on the boards. As the Boston Celtics learned last night, Bosh's range extends quite a ways beyond the paint, stretching all the way back to the three-point line. 

He may be the brunt of a lot of Miami jokes, but Bosh is a tremendous basketball player. So too is the man he'll be matched up against. 

Serge Ibaka doesn't have the varied offensive game that Bosh possesses, although he may in a few years. What he does have, though, is an incredible knack for swatting away any and all shots that enter into his domain. 

The Congolese-Spanish big man can hit the pick-and-pop jump shot with the best of them, but his true calling is playing defense in the painted area, where he can bait unwitting offensive players into forcing shots into his wheelhouse. 

By himself, Ibaka makes for an interesting call when it comes to this positional matchup, but the depth of the Thunder give him the backup necessary to push the team ahead. Nick Collison might not be a glamourous player by any stretch of the imagination, but he's a great hustle player and he's ready to sacrifice his body on a charge attempt at the drop of a hat.

Udonis Haslem's rebounding skills make the competition close, but the Ibaka-Collison one-two punch is ever-so-slightly stronger than the Bosh-Haslem one at this point. Three games into the series, I might have a change of heart, though.  

Advantage: Oklahoma City Thunder

Center

I'm not a fan of Kendrick Perkins' game, but I have to give him the advantage here. 

Why? 

Because I refuse to give it to Joel Anthony, Ronny Turiaf or Dexter Pittman.

Enough said.  

Advantage: Oklahoma City Thunder