NBA Playoffs 2012 Predictions: Thunder and Heat Will Meet in Thrilling Finals

No other NBA Finals matchup would be as compelling as a clash between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat.

Both teams are loaded with superstars, both can score at will when they are clicking and neither team would be afraid to get out and run.

The action would be fast, the athleticism would be breathtaking and the highlights would be rampant.

Thankfully, NBA fans, I think this is the Finals we'll be treated to this season.

The Thunder are the only team in the NBA that can match the Heat for star power. While OKC may not have a big three as talented as Miami's version, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Thunder's big two of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have a better supporting cast.

Between James Harden's ability to light it up off the bench and the low-post play of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder present a more complete team than the Heat do.

Of course, the deciding factor in this one would likely be which potential regular-season MVP gets the better of the other. Will Durant get an early championship and lead the Thunder to the first of several in a burgeoning dynasty?

Or will LeBron get the "not-clutch" monkey off of his back and finally stake his claim as the game's predominant superstar with his first championship?

Juicy storylines, indeed.

And if you look at each conference, I simply don't see which team is good enough to stand in either team's way. I don't think the San Antonio Spurs can keep up with the Thunder over the course of a series, and the Los Angeles Lakers seem like they could implode at any moment.

In the East, the Boston Celtics or New York Knicks could pose a tough matchup, but the Heat are clearly the better team.

And, of course, there's always the Bulls. But will Derrick Rose ever be completely healthy or totally effective this year? And do the Bulls really have another scoring option if Rose is taken out by LeBron again as he was in last year's Eastern Conference finals?

The answer to both of those questions is no, in case you were wondering.

I firmly believe we'll be getting an epic clash between the Thunder and Heat, which even sounds like a confrontation best immortalized in a comic book.

It's going to be good. Strap in once we get to the NBA Finals, folks—we're all in for a wild ride.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets always hit the spot, like Philip Humber.