Western Conference Finals 2012: San Antonio Spurs' Momentum Will End Thunder Run

The San Antonio Spurs are the hottest team in basketball right now and they will roll right through the Oklahoma City Thunder into the NBA finals.

The Spurs have won 18 straight games and swept the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

They are averaging 102.5 points per game in their eight straight wins against the Jazz and Clippers, which is tops among all teams in the postseason.

They have also set the standard for offensive efficiency in the playoffs, and as a team, they are shooting a ridiculous 49.2 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from behind the three-point line.

While their defensive statistics are not as eye-popping, they do lead all teams this postseason in point differential.

This remarkable run is a combination of the Spurs' veteran savvy and Gregg Popovich's genius. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have all been through championship runs before, and Popovich knows how to get his team to peak at the right time.

The long-time San Antonio coach took flack during the regular season for resting players who were not injured in order to keep them fresh for a title run. At one point, 36-year-old Tim Duncan was even listed in a box scored as "DND—Old."

Popovich staunchly defended his decision to rest his veteran players during a condensed schedule, and he clearly made the right decision. The Spurs are hitting their stride at the perfect time and have momentum behind them going into their toughest test yet.

Oklahoma City has also been playing extremely well, winning eight of their nine playoff games. But they did not finish out the regular season on a high note, going 8-7 in April. 

They also looked vulnerable at times against the Lakers. While they did win the series 4-1, Games 2, 3 and 4 were all very closely contested matches. The Thunder were lucky to get out of that series as quickly as they did.

The Spurs are in the midst of a historic run. Their 18-game win streak ties them for the seventh longest stretch without a loss in NBA history.

They are playing their best basketball of the season in the most important games of the year. This veteran squad knows exactly what it takes to win a championship, and they are proving that every time they step on the court.

San Antonio is too hot for any team to handle right now, and they will beat the Thunder in the Western Conference finals.