Olympic Basketball 2012: 5 Team USA Storylines to Watch in the NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat will represent their respective conferences in this year's NBA Finals, and the matchup is full of Americans who will represent their country at this summer's Olympic Games. 

The Heat and Thunder each have three players that are on the list of finalists to make the team. When the official team is announced, there is a strong chance that members of the teams in the finals will make up almost half the national roster. 

The two best small forwards in the world are competing in this series, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant face off in what promises to be a battle for the history books. 

Shooting guards Dwyane Wade and James Harden will need to make plays in clutch moments if they hope to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Thunder starting point guard Russell Westbrook is hoping to be picked to make the official roster, despite the fact that the pool of available point guards is deep with world-class talent. 

Chris Bosh's role on the national team will be even bigger this year due the fact that the projected starting center, Dwight Howard, will be unable to compete because of a back injury.

The Health of Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade missed 17 games during the regular season due to a variety of injuries. In the playoffs, Wade has suffered with lower leg soreness. The same injury caused him to miss games at the end of the regular season as well. 

If Wade is banged up when the playoffs end, and the upcoming series against the Oklahoma City Thunder will be very physical, then it may be in his best interest to relax and get ready for next season. 

Members of the national team will be expected to report to Las Vegas July 5th to begin preparing for the Olympics. 

If the Thunder and Miami Heat are forced to play the full seven games to decide who wins the NBA championship, then the series wouldn't end until June 26th. 

That would be a very short turnaround for Wade and the rest of the future US Olympians that will be playing in this series. 

The decision on whether Wade ends up playing may depend on how badly the star shooting guard wants another crack at the Olympics. He won a gold medal at the Beijing games, so he has that crossed off his to-do list. 

Wade hasn't fully committed to the Olympics yet, and if he isn't completely healthy after the finals then it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sit out the event. 

The Ascension of James Harden

James Harden winning the sixth man of the year award was an absolute no-brainer. 

He had a very impressive year, as he averaged 16.8 points, 3.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in the regular season, while shooting 49 percent from the field. 

Harden is not a lock to make the team, as shooting guards Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade will certainly be chosen ahead of him if they are healthy. 

As stated in the previous slide, Wade has been suffering with injuries throughout the majority of the season and there is a chance he could decide to skip the Olympics. 

Harden has proven that he is a knockdown shooter in the playoffs, as he has shot 46.5 percent from three-point range. 

If Harden finds a way to make it onto the team that goes to London, then he will contribute with big buckets from behind the arc. 

A strong performance in the finals would prove to the basketball world that Harden is ready for the lofty expectations that will be placed on this summer's men's basketball team. 

The Health of Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh is often overlooked because he is the third best player on his team. When people refer to the Miami Heat as a team that has "two and a half stars", they are taking a shot at Bosh.

Bosh will need to play a great series against the Oklahoma City Thunder if Miami hopes to win the title. To a lesser extent, the same could be said about team USA and their hope to bring home Olympic gold. 

The injury to projected starting center Dwight Howard means that Bosh's size and skill-set will be even more important than originally thought. 

Bosh strained his abdominal muscle against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their second round series, and he did not return to the court until Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. 

The Heat definitely missed Bosh during his absence and without him, and they probably would have lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals if he didn't make his return.

According to the Miami Herald, Chris Bosh said the following about dealing with his abdominal strain:

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"The biggest challenge that I ever had in my life, to make sure I stayed ready, so when the time did come, I could contribute instead of trying to get my legs under me and be a non-factor.”

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His game translates well to the international game, as he is comfortable guarding opposing big men on the perimeter and in the paint.

The other big men on the current preliminary roster include Tyson Chandler, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Lamar Odom (who has no chance to make the team) and the future No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Davis. 

Out of that group, one can make a strong argument that Bosh has the most well-rounded game, especially on the offensive end of the floor.

Hopefully for Team USA, Bosh will be able to stay healthy and will make an impact at the Olympic Games in London this summer. 

The Kevin Durant and LeBron James Showdown

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are widely considered to be the best two basketball players on the planet. 

They will both be crucial in bringing home Olympic gold back to the United States for the second straight time. But before they travel to London, the two will face off against each other and the victor will win his first NBA title. 

It isn't every year that the best two players in the league meet in the finals, and it is even more rare when those top two players share the same position. 

There is little doubt that LeBron will be guarding Durant at the end of games and in all of the big spots. It will be up to LeBron to make sure that Durant doesn't hit clutch shots to win the Thunder games, and if anyone is up to that task it would be James.

The winner of this series will claim their first ever NBA title, and there is no doubt that there is more pressure on LeBron to win this year than there is on Durant.

This is the ninth year that James has been in the league. He led his team to the finals on two occasions, but failed to step up to the moment in each series.

On the other hand, Durant is in his fifth season in the league, and is making his first appearance in the NBA Finals. 

LeBron faces a level of adversity that very few athletes in history have ever had to deal with. He is thought of as the best player in the world, yet the basketball world only seems to care about his lack of championship rings.

If the Thunder defeat the Heat then the pressure on James would only increase, and people will question his inability to step up in the big spot even more.

Will the loser in this series feel resentment to the other? 

It obviously wouldn't be easy for either to finish their season with a loss, but hopefully the loser in this series won't hold any type of resentment for the winner. Team USA will be in good shape if both of these super-stars are able to play well together this summer in London. 

Russell Westbrook's Inability to Take Care of the Ball

Russell Westbrook is one of the best scoring point guards in the NBA, as he averaged 23.6 points per game this season. 

For all of his scoring prowess, Westbrook often struggles with turnovers. This season, he turned the ball over an average of 3.6 times per contest, which is entirely too high. His 3.6 turnovers per contest were the sixth most among all NBA players during the regular season. 

In his defense, Westbrook has done a far better job taking care of the ball in the playoffs, as he is turning over the ball just 2.3 times per game in the postseason. 

The Miami Heat employ one of the best defenders in the league in LeBron James. 

James will be asked to guard Westbrook from time to time in this series and that represents a real challenged to Westbrook.

If Westbrook is able to play like his usual self but cut down on the turnovers, then his Oklahoma City Thunder have to like their chances against the Heat. 

Westbrook has the ability to create offense on his own, a skill that is never undervalued in basketball circles. He has the potential to be one of the most important members of Team USA, but in order to do so, he must first learn to take care of the ball better.