NBA Finals 2012: Top 5 Storylines of OKC Thunder vs. Miami Heat Finals

The 2012 NBA Finals are all set. The mighty Miami Heat will face off against the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder in what will be a matchup for the ages.

While there are certainly hundreds of storylines that could be generated with this upcoming matchup, undoubtedly, some are more important and meaningful than others.

From the top two 2012 NBA MVP candidates facing off against each other to the a battle of Big Threes, the storylines for this year's finals are certainly going to be exciting to watch.

Ahead, you'll find the top five storylines surrounding the 2012 NBA Finals between the Heat and the Thunder. 

LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant: Nos. 1 and 2 in 2012 MVP Voting

LeBron James and Kevin Durant finished first and second in 2012 MVP voting, with 85 and 24 first-place votes respectively.

Depending on which home team's arena you find yourself in, you'll hear the home crowd chanting "MVP, MVP" when either LeBron or Durant heads to the foul line or comes into the game. That will be amped up to the next level once the 2012 NBA Finals get underway.

Those who question whether the NBA's MVP award should include postseason play will use this year's finals as a perfect example, as long as Durant leads the Thunder to the title.

If LeBron leads the Heat to the title this season, the MVP award's detractors will simply ignore the validity brought about by the outcome of the finals.

Either way, it's going to be absolutely epic not only to watch a battle between two of the greatest players and scorers in the game, but also to watch an intense battle between the two players who vied for the 2012 NBA MVP trophy.

This year's finals could be the start of an epic rivalry between two of the most prolific players in the game, and that's something that all NBA fans should love to see. 

Big Three vs. Big Three: Durant, Harden, Westbrook vs. LeBron, Wade, Bosh

The most obvious storyline is going to be the battle between each team's Big Three. The Thunder's consists of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Heat's consists of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Let's take a minute and break down the statistical comparison between each team's dominant trio in the playoffs so far.

Durant, Harden, Westbrook: 67.1 PPG, 18.2 RPG, 13.1 APG, 46.4 FG%

Bosh, LeBron, Wade: 67.4 PPG, 21.5 RPG, 10 APG, 50.1 FG%

It's absolutely ridiculous to see just how close these trios are when it comes to production.

The talk about which Big Three is more complete and which will have a more sustainable future in the NBA will be the most talked-about storyline of these NBA finals. It will certainly have a major impact on the outcome of the series. 

It's a Race to Their First of Hopefully Many Rings

A number of superstars playing in this year's NBA Finals are looking for their first NBA championship.

The type of star power in this year's finals is reminiscent of the golden age of basketball when the star-studded Lakers faced off against the star power of the Celtics back in the 1960s and mid-1980s.

Watching to see which group of NBA All-Stars gets their first of hopefully many rings will certainly be interesting to watch.

For the last three or four years, we've been hearing about how much LeBron needs to acquire his first ring so that he can be considered one of the greatest players of all-time. Just imagine the media hoopla and expert analysis if Durant acquires his first ring before LeBron.

Headlines will talk about how Durant is a greater player than LeBron and how LeBron needs to learn from Durant. Experts will debate if it was a wise move for LeBron to work out with Durant this offseason at the University of Akron and if it had an impact on Durant winning a ring before LeBron.

I could go on and on, but I won't. The point is that the conversation regarding these great superstars chasing their first rings will be incredibly entertaining to watch unfold. 

The Beginning of a New Dynasty in the NBA

The Thunder are decidedly the younger team than the Heat, but that doesn't mean the Heat are an old team by any means.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are a combined 68 years old, whereas LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are a combined 85 years old.

That age difference doesn't mean too much, though, as the Thunder and Heat are both looking to establish themselves as the new dynasty in the NBA.

Whoever wins the 2012 NBA Finals will be enveloped in a lot of talk about whether or not they'll be able to continue their NBA title dominance over the next few years. This is similar to what the L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls accomplished back in the day.

There are times when NBA titles are won by aging teams looking for their first titles, like last year with the Dallas Mavericks. This year, the title will go to a team looking to establish itself as a legitimate dynasty in the NBA.

Big Three Through Draft vs. Big Three Through Free Agency

While both the Thunder and Heat have their own respective Big Threes, each franchise went about acquiring those Big Threes in vastly different ways.

Here's how the OKC Thunder slowly, but surely, acquired their Big Three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden: 

Kevin Durant: 2007 No. 2 overall pick.  

Russell Westbrook: 2008 No. 4 overall pick.  

James Harden: 2009 No. 3 overall pick.

I don't think you need to be reminded how the Miami Heat acquired their Big Three. If you do, just check out this video of LeBron's "The Decision."

With that being said, a major storyline for the 2012 NBA Finals will be the difference between how each team came to be dominated by its own Big Three. If I had to guess, the favorable viewpoint will be given to the Thunder, whereas people will bash the Heat for acquiring their trio through free agency.

No matter how the finals play out, this will be an interesting and divisive storyline throughout.