2012 NBA Playoffs: Can Anybody Stop the Miami Heat from a Championship Now?

Whether or not you are a fan of the Miami Heat, there is no denying that they are talented and have the skill to win the NBA Championship. 

While they may have skill, there are some inconvenient things that teams have to go through to win the finals.

It's called competition.

It has been quite the spectacle to watch teams in the playoffs this year. If nothing else, this year has shown some of the most even matchups in a while. 

Everybody thought the Heat would have an even tougher time advancing to the finals this year. The Bulls were prime for a deep run into the playoffs, and the Heat did not want to face them in the Eastern Conference Championship. 

Well, two injuries and three straight losses later, Chicago's playoff hopes pretty much crashed and burned. With it went the best chance for anyone to beat the Heat.

Thunder and Spurs fans are probably screaming at their computer screens right now. Let me explain.

The Heat have great offensive and defensive skill. In points per game and points allowed, they rank in the Top 10. I'm not going to go through their individual playmakers, because they honestly have too many. 

All their players form a nice balance of offense and defense, which is really all you could ask for from a team in the playoffs. They have performed exceptionally in the first round, and look like the favorite from the East.

The Celtics look good, but nothing from last year's playoffs hints that they could win. The same thing in 2011 happened in 2012. The Celtics looked dominant over the Heat in the regular season, but were cleaned up in the semifinals. I would think that the same thing will happen again.

The Pacers have good depth, but no real standout star. They have great players like Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger, but neither are superstars. Same goes for the 76ers.

I said it before, and I will say it again. The Bulls had the best chance of beating the Heat before injuries struck. They had a great defense and had phenomenal offensive talent, coupled with a good bench. If anyone was going to beat the Heat, it was them. 

But that is old news. The Bulls find themselves facing first-round elimination, and will probably lose tonight. If they don't tonight, they will eventually. The injuries were just too devastating. Even if they did eventually win, it wouldn't matter much because their best player is out.

This moves us into the Western Conference, where the two supposedly best teams are the Spurs and the Thunder. If anyone else has a chance, it is these two.

But the more you look at it, the more questionable that becomes.

The regular season Heat vs. Thunder matchups were split, so that doesn't provide us much guidance. We have to go by experience and skill comparisons. The Heat win both these battles. It also doesn't help that the Thunder finished in the bottom half of points allowed.

Now the Spurs are where I see the strongest argument. They have the experience and the skill. Surely they would give Miami a run for their money, right?

Well, not exactly.

The Spurs are talented and match up well with the Heat, I get that. But they still have weaknesses that can be exploited.

They showed some last year in the first round versus Memphis. If a team plays aggressive, tough, defensive ball against them, their efficiency starts to go way down. The Heat have amped up their defense over the course of the season, which does not bode well for the Spurs.

If things go like this the rest of the way, Miami should have no problem winning the championship. They were the second best team in the league, and are currently the first.

Before you rush to the comments to bash me, keep in mind that I am not a Heat fan.

The Grizzlies are my team, though they seem to be having trouble right now. Honestly, they were the other team that could beat the Heat, but they can't close out games if their lives depended on it.

But I digress.

Now of course, games aren't won on paper. Anything can happen in the playoffs. But as of now, it seems like Miami can't be stopped from a championship.