NBA Finals 2012: Thunder's Chemistry Will Propel Them Past Heat

Many people picked the San Antonio Spurs to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals because of their team chemistry and efficiency. 

But the Thunder grew up against the Spurs, and it's their team chemistry that will propel them past the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

In the 2012 playoffs, the Thunder have shot better (46.9 percent) and averaged more points (102.3) and assists (18.7) than the Heat. They've also uncharacteristically averaged the third-fewest turnovers (11.2) out of all playoff teams. Led by the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Thunder have been an extremely efficient team in the postseason.

The Heat, on the other hand, have mainly been LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh did step up against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, but I still don't think the Heat's Big Three will be enough against the Thunder.

For example, role players Shane Battier and Mike Miller have shot poorly in the playoffs. Battier is shooting 31 percent from the floor and 32 percent from downtown in 18 postseason games. Miller is shooting 37 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three-point land.

Three-point shooting figures to give the Thunder another advantage. The Thunder have shot 37 percent from downtown during the playoffs, while the Heat have shot 32 percent. 

Why is this so important?

When James and Wade drive to the hoop, they need someone to threaten from downtown or the defense will collapse on them. Durant and Westbrook drive to the rim knowing they at least have Harden on the outside, as he's shooting 45 percent from the field and 44 percent from downtown in the postseason. Even Derek Fisher (38 percent) and Thabo Sefolosha (36 percent) have shot well from beyond the arc.

Speaking of Sefolosha, he will likely be assigned to guard either Wade or James in the finals. Given what he did against Tony Parker in the Western Conference finals, it's safe to say he's become a secret weapon for the Thunder. His defense against the Spurs was magnificent.

In essence, the Thunder differ from the Heat in that they have more weapons to use, both offensively and defensively. When you have multiple weapons working in unison, that's mighty hard to stop, even for the defensive-minded Heat.

The Thunder are the better team than the Heat, and while they don't have James and Wade, they do have Durant and Westbrook. The Celtics may have been the better team than the Heat, but they didn't have anybody to compare to James and Wade.

When all is said and done, the Heat will come to the realization that they don't have the supporting cast to win a championship this season.

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