2012 NBA Playoff Predictions: Teams Who Are Locks to Win Conferences

The 2012 NBA playoffs begin on April 28, and it’s not too early to start thinking about who is going to emerge from each conference and go on and play in the NBA Finals.

Let’s take a look at two teams with a great possibility of advancing through their respective conference finals and then predict who would win a hypothetical matchup.

Eastern Conference: Miami Heat

The Heat are simply the best team in the conference. They will have an easy first-round matchup as the No. 2 seed, and it doesn’t seem like anyone will be able to beat them in a seven-game series.

Even the Chicago Bulls will have their hands full after the Heat exploited them in their final contest of the regular season.

LeBron James is the best basketball player on earth right now, Dwyane Wade has a championship pedigree and the supporting cast has postseason experience. There is no team more equipped to win it all than this group.

Western Conference: Oklahoma City Thunder

OKC didn’t look like champions after their epic collapse this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, but that was just one game.

This team has dominated all season long and has the firepower and fresh legs to get past anyone in the West.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the two main options while Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, James Harden and the rest of the roster are extremely young, skilled and athletic.

This is also mostly the same group that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the more experienced Dallas Mavericks. Look for them to be hungry and ready to exact revenge for that humbling defeat.

Finals Winner: Miami Heat

After being upset in the Finals last year and enduring nearly a year of criticism, King James will finally lead his team to a ring.

This Heat squad is just too talented, too motivated and too angry not to win the 2012 NBA Finals against whomever challenges them from the West.