NBA Playoffs 2012: Overrated Spurs Will Be Dominated by Thunder in West Finals

When the San Antonio Spurs are dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, you will see why the veteran Spurs are being overrated in the NBA playoffs thus far.

I'm not saying the Spurs are a bad team, which they most certainly are not. However, they do not have enough talent to stop a young Thunder team led by the best trio in the NBA: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

Let's look at three reasons why the overrated Spurs will lose to the Thunder in the West finals.

Spurs Haven't Been Tested Yet

The Spurs have played the easiest competition of any team in the postseason thus far. They swept a young and very inexperienced Utah Jazz team without a superstar in the first round, then swept a Los Angeles Clippers team with superstars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin battling injuries.

San Antonio hasn't been tested yet in the playoffs, and this will hurt them against the Thunder. Oklahoma City had to face the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round and swept them.

In the second round, the Thunder defeated a talented Los Angeles Lakers team with two great seven-foot big men and superstar Kobe Bryant in five games.  

OKC has played better competition and have just one more loss than the Spurs heading into Game 1 of the West finals.

Nobody on the Spurs can guard Kevin Durant

The Spurs will have a difficult time guarding Thunder superstar forward Kevin Durant in this series because they have no one who can defend him 1-on-1.

Kawhi Leonard, Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson cannot defend Durant well consistently, and will not be able to prevent the league's leading scorer from dominating offensively.

Durant averaged 22 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games against the Spurs this season, and shot 21-of-23 from the free-throw line.

Durant has a shown a fierce determination in the playoffs thus far and won't be stopped since the Spurs don't have a perimeter defender good enough defensively to slow him down.

James Harden will win his matchup with Manu Ginobili

Manu Ginobili is arguably the Spurs' most important player because he is a reliable scorer and hits the big shots in the fourth quarter.

James Harden's defense is outstanding, and he did a nice job guarding Kobe Bryant in the second round.

Harden is fully capable of limiting Ginobili's offensive production and frustrating him throughout the series. If he can do this, the Thunder will have no problem reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996 when the franchise was in Seattle.

Harden's scoring off the bench and defense on Ginobili will be the difference for the Thunder.

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