NBA Playoff 2012: Who Matches Up Best Against LeBron James and the Miami Heat?

The Miami Heat are up 3-1 in the best of seven first-round matchup against the New York Knicks. They have played stifling defense, and have received tremendous efforts from their "Big Three" of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Right now, they may look like the favorite to win it all in the eyes of some, but who has the best chance of knocking them out and ending their hopes of their first title with their group of three superstars?

Here are six potential teams including one team that ultimately will have the best shot.

No. 6: Chicago Bulls

Entering the postseason, this would have looked like a much better option.

They play fantastic defense, they have terrific team depth and were able to record an 18-9 record with reigning MVP Derrick Rose injured.

Expectations have been tempered, however, with Rose ending his season with an ACL tear, the absence of Joakim Noah for another game and the Philadelphia 76ers making the Bulls look impotent on offense.

The Bulls are down 3-1 facing an embarrassing first-round exit as a No.1 seed. Even if they are to miraculously come back and advance to the Conference Semifinals, they will not have Rose and they do not have the firepower to beat any of the other remaining teams in the East.

In the event they do advance, they would play either Atlanta or Boston in the next round. Boston plays physical defense, which would limit the effectiveness of the new playmaker for Chicago—Richard Hamilton. Unfortunately, it is not 2004 anymore, and Hamilton cannot carry the load for a playoff offense.

There is virtually zero chance they could defeat Miami in the seven game series.

No. 5: Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers might be the least appreciated team in the playoffs. They are currently up 3-1 in the first-round over the Orlando Magic. While some will point to the absence of Dwight Howard as the only reason for the Pacers' commanding lead, anybody who watches their games know that they play terrific defense which gives them an opportunity to beat anybody.

If the Pacers are able to close out the series over Orlando, they would be given the shot to eliminate the Heat in the next round. Is it likely? Not given the incredible play of Miami recently.

Is it possible? Absolutely.

The Pacers played the Heat four games in the regular season. One game, the Pacers won by 15 points at home. In another game, they took Miami into overtime, losing by two in the American Airlines Arena. Twice they lost by significant margins, but that was much earlier in the season.

They finished four games behind Miami this season with a 42-24 mark. The key for the Pacers would be to attack LeBron James and Dwyane Wade the way they did in their regular season victory. They forced Miami into 17 turnovers and Darren Collison was a huge reason for that by guarding James with terrific one-on-one defense.

In reality, the Heat probably did not enter that game with much urgency, and a playoff matchup with four games in Miami would be a tough task for Indiana's young stars Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger.

There would be a very slim chance they could defeat Miami.

No. 4: Boston Celtics

Out of the remaining Eastern Conference teams, the Celtics have the best chance to eliminate Miami. They sort of coasted through the regular season with a 39-27 record winning the Atlantic division with the help of the roller coaster New York Knicks.

The Celtics were not at full strength for much of the season, but with the return of the healthy and battle-tested Paul Pierce, the Celtics have as good a shot as anyone.

They ranked second in the NBA in points allowed per game and second in assists per game. Their ability to force the Heat to rotate quickly on defense around the perimeter and consistently hit three-pointers would be the key in this matchup.

Also, Paul Pierce would need to force LeBron into tough shots, and Kevin Garnett would need to outplay Bosh in the post and win the rebound totals.

This would be a rematch of the 2011 Conference semifinals in which the Heat handled the Celtics rather easily with a 4-1 series win.

A rematch this season could be much different considering the Celtics won the season series, 3-1, with all three wins coming in April and with point differentials of eight or more points.

This would be a fantastic series matchup, and it would show whether the Boston "Big Three" of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have one more championship run in them.

It would be a competitive series but Miami would ultimately defeat them.

No. 3: Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant does not need much help or any added motivation to win an NBA title. He already has five rings, but seems intent on tying Michael Jordan with six this season.

He also appears to be focused on proving the skeptics, who think he is past his prime, wrong. The statistics, however, will show otherwise as he averaged 27.9 points per game in 38.5 minutes.

This year, Kobe does not have to do it on his own, as big men Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol have performed terrifically.

Bynum has become a dominant force in the interior. He averaged 18.7 points per game to go along with 11.8 rebounds per game in the regular season and has been an absolute beast in the postseason recording 10 blocks in Game 1 against the Nuggets.

The Lakers are on the verge of eliminating the Denver Nuggets, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting for them in the next round which could end their chances prematurely.

That will be a great challenge, but if they are able to move past the Thunder, they may become the favorite to win it all.

A finals matchup of Kobe vs. LeBron would be fantastic, and Bryant would love the chance to move the differential between them to six rings. Even the biggest LeBron fan would find that hard to swallow.

No. 2: San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs look absolutely set on eliminating the bad taste in their mouths from last season's shocking first-round exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Spurs managed to win 50 games for the 13th consecutive season, despite the 66-game schedule, which garnered Gregg Popovich Coach of the Year honors.

San Antonio has a balanced attack no matter how you slice it. The trio of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan continue to play at an elite level, as well.

The Spurs are awaiting the results of the Memphis-Los Angeles Clippers series to see whom they will face in the Conference semifinals.

The Spurs swept the Utah Jazz in the first round by an average score of 16 points per game which shows how they are firing on all cylinders right now.

Their scoring ability, which ranked them second in the NBA, will enable them to match the ability of James and Wade.

Tony Parker will need to control the game and continue to flash his brilliant facilitating skills which allowed him to average 7.7 assists per game.

Tim Duncan, a four-time NBA champion, will need to contain the interior and dominate the boards against Chris Bosh.

The Spurs match up well against the Heat and a seven game series would be extremely competitive.

No. 1: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder possess a potent offensive attack which features Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the suddenly unstoppable James Harden.

They just swept the reigning NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks and have a huge wave of confidence.

Their three huge scoring threats all averaged over 16 points per game with Westbrook averaging 23.6 and Durant averaging 28.0 during the regular season.

They allowed 96.9 points per game which was 17th in the NBA, but they have big man Serge Ibaka in the post averaging 7.5 rebounds per game and 3.65 blocks.

Their biggest challenge may be defeating the Lakers in the next round, but if they move on, they will have a solid chance.

In the regular season, the Thunder and Heat split their two games. The teams possess a bevy of talent with multiples scoring threats. The difference may be that James Harden is a third scoring option which the Heat cannot match. He has been playing incredible, scoring 29 points off the bench in the elimination game.

The Mavericks did not have answer for them. Will the Heat?