2012 NBA Finals: LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant Is Just What the NBA Needs

When talking about the NBA, many thoughts often come to mind.

Some will berate and bemoan the league for the negative images surrounding some of its players, while others will incessantly talk about the glory years of the 1980s and '90s. During that particular time the NBA had a slogan: "NBA action is fantastic!"

What made professional basketball grand in those two decades were the players. Some of the game's greatest played at the time. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Akeem Olajuwon, Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson put the NBA on the map.

At the turn of the new millennium, the league went through a major paradigm shift. Jordan retired briefly in 1999, but would return two seasons later in an unceremonious fashion, as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Team rivalries had sharply declined. Gone were the days of Boston versus Los Angeles, and Chicago against Detroit. The lack of must-see games caused a huge drop in television ratings. Although an infusion of young talent including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul kind of brought the game back to respectability, something was still missing.

On and off the court, the behavior of several players gave the league a huge black eye. That was apparent in 2004. A game in Auburn Hills, Michigan between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons turned ugly with time running out. A fight broke out between Ben Wallace and Ron Artest, which turned even uglier when Artest charged into the stands to attack a fan.

Artest and eight other players were suspended for their participation in the "Brawl at the Palace." The most severe punishment went to Artest, who missed the rest of the season. A total of 146 games were missed, and over $11-million dollars in salaries without pay was a result of the infraction.

Eight years later, a 161-day player lockout postponed the start of the 2012 regular season.

The owners and players could not come into accord on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Both parties reached a new covenant on December 8, however, because of strike, the season—which began on Christmas Day—was shortened from 82 to 66 games.

When the last strike occurred in 1999, the NBA took a financial hit. Fans boycotted games, which caused ticket sales to drastically drop. Fans voiced their displeasure of this season's strike, but the league survived the truncated season.

With the 2012 NBA Finals beginning tonight between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the league appears to be headed back to where it was during the 1980s.

The NBA's two most recognizable stars, Miami's LeBron James and OKC's Kevin Durant, will go head-to-head in an individual matchup that many are calling the second coming of Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird.

Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Bird of the Boston Celtics are the Godfathers of modern-day basketball. The two were responsible for galvanizing the NBA during the '80s. Johnson's Lakers and Bird's Celtics' teams met three times in the finals during the decade, and produced some of the greatest games in the history of the sport.

The Magic versus Bird rivalry catapulted the league to new heights. Now, James and Durant look to lead the NBA to a new revival.

Both players have a huge fan base, and their jerseys are amongst the top sellers. James' No. 6 was ranked fourth and Durant's No. 35 was eighth in jersey sales released in late-April by the NBA-online store.

James and Durant are also a major hit in Manhattan. Nike have both players on board, with each having a signature shoe.

A few seasons ago, Nike launched a major ad campaign in 2009 with James—who was with Cleveland at the time—and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Fans around the basketball world wanted a Cleveland/Los Angeles final, but it never did happen. James' Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals. Bryant went on to lead the Lakers to the first of back-to-back titles that season.

The rivalry between James and Bryant has been hit-and-miss since, but with a new rivalry between James and Durant on the horizon, the NBA hopes to profit on television ratings and ticket sales.

James and Durant are young enough, 27 and 23 respectively, to take the league to brand new heights. This season they finished 1-2 in the MVP voting; with James winning his third overall.

With both players playing outstanding basketball in the playoffs, the 2012 NBA Finals may be the start of a new basketball renaissance.