NBA Playoffs 2012: Why LeBron James and Heat Should Fear OKC Thunder

The Miami Heat have climbed up through the treacherous NBA Eastern Conference playoffs and find themselves days away reaching the summit, but now they have to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder if they plan on planting the Heat flag on top of the NBA world.

It's going to be much easier said than done for LeBron James and the Heat, as this OKC team is very good.

I dare say, they may be scary good.

Ever since LeBron's epic game in Boston that saw him put up 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to force a Game 7, all we've been hearing about is how he had made a "statement" and that he had played in a "legacy game."

While it was certainly one of the more impressive playoff performances we've seen, and it will definitely be on James' highlight reel when all is said and done, perhaps we need to take a minute to slow down and think.

Are we really about defining legacies in the Eastern Conference finals now?

I know that every team starts the season with the end goal of winning their conference title, and every little kid grows up dreaming about being the conference final's MVP, but perhaps we need to put this into perspective.

There's still four games to go before the Heat accomplish their ultimate goal, and those four games have to come against arguably the best and most complete team in the NBA right now—the Thunder.

Yes, the same Thunder team that boasts their very own superstar in Kevin Durant—his 27.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in these playoffs.

This is also the same Thunder team that has their very own secondary star in point guard Russell Westbrook and his 21.7 points, 5.6 assist and 5.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs.

Heck, they've even got a third star in James Harden, who's scored 17.6 points and notched 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this postseason.

And, he has a cool beard.

Sounds somewhat like a formidable Big Three to me.

Add in a shot-blocking and rebounding machine in Serge Ibaka, a huge post presence in 6'10'', 270-pound Kendrick Perkins and bench spearheaded by an experienced NBA champion in Derek Fisher, and it looks like the Heat may have their work cut out for them.

Miami may be feeling pretty good about what it's accomplished so far, and getting to the NBA Finals is no small accomplishment, but the road ahead will only get tougher and more perilous.

Remember, the Heat were formed with just one goal in mind—championships.

Not one, not two, not three...

Multiple championships.

Anything less than that would be an utter failure, and that's where the legacy of a guy like LeBron James is going to be determined—not in the Eastern Conference finals.

If I were the Heat, and James specifically, I would be a bit worried.

The road to the title is about to get rocky, and there's a thunderstorm on way.