NBA Playoffs 2012: Most Compelling Potential Matchups This Postseason
I know we're all of two days into the 2012 NBA Playoffs, but the constant stream of high-quality, passionate basketball has driven me into such a tizzy of excitement that I couldn't help but look ahead.
Not that I'm about to ignore all the great games yet to be played in the first round or overlook the gems that've already gone down.
That being said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already looking forward to seeing these three potential matchups in the rounds to come...and I doubt that I'm alone in that regard.
Conference Semifinals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
A best-of-seven tilt between the Lakers and the Thunder would make for a fascinating study in NBA contrasts—LA with its preference for a slower, half-court style that features its towering tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, and OKC with its preference for up-and-down, run-and-gun play pushed by the young legs of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
But such a series would be about far more than just tactical concerns.
It's also about the Old Guard against the New Kids on the Block. Sprawling metropolis against middling Midwest market. Metta World Peace's elbow vs. James Harden's head, and the top two scorers in the league (Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant) knocking noggins.
And it's only a series away.
The regular season results suggest that OKC would own a decisive edge, though LA's more playoff-friendly brand of basketball could help to neutralize the Thunder's speed and athleticism enough to keep things mighty interesting.
Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
The Eastern Conference would appear to be the Heat's to lose more than ever, now that the Chicago Bulls will be without Derrick Rose for the remainder of the postseason.
Just don't tell that to the Celtics. Boston's Big Three should be relatively healthy at this point, assuming Ray Allen's bum ankle doesn't drag the team down against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and the Bulls in the second.
Meanwhile, Miami would've been well on its way to the Eastern Conference Finals, irrespective of the rest of the bracket.
What better way to decide who represents the East in the Finals than with a star-studded affair, featuring the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh for the Heat and Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen for the C's?
Not to mention the intrigue of the C's making the most of one last go-round with their current corps against a Heat team in search of its first title.
NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat
Sick of hearing about Kobe vs. LeBron? LeBron vs. Kobe?
The never-ending debate, as the folks at The Basketball Jones like to say.
If so, you should be rooting hard for the Lakers and the Heat to meet up in the NBA Finals, if for no other reason than to get a definitive answer.
Or see the whole discussion thrown into a new dimension.
In any case, you can be sure that the folks in the league office would love to see the game's two biggest stars go head-to-head on the game's biggest stage.
And, as tough as it'd be for the Lakers to slow down LeBron and D-Wade, the Heat would be equally hard-pressed to defend LA's size inside.
All of which points to a series teeming with cross-cutting storylines and a shelf life of no fewer than six games.
