Five Reason the Thunder and Bulls Will Play Each Other in the NBA Finals in 2012

As we get deeper and deeper into the 2010-11 season, two things are very evident to me: The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks still rule the NBA and the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to take their spots once these dynasties die off.

In fact, I predict that these two teams will take over the reigns as the two best teams in the NBA as early as next year!

Both teams have all their key pieces set into place, and both possess all the qualities of championship teams. They both have to gain a year of playoff experience, as they are both expected to make deep playoff runs this year. By next year, I'm expecting these two teams to meet each other in the NBA Finals, and I expect this matchup to be a regular occurrence in the NBA Finals for at least five years after that.

Superstars

The Bulls and Thunder both possess a megastar MVP candidate along with a sidekick. Both of these qualities are almost always essential for teams to make it to the NBA Finals.

For the Chicago Bulls, that megastar is Derrick Rose, who has blossomed into one of the best all-around players in the entire game. He passes the ball very well, he scoops up a lot of rebounds for a point guard, he defends the ball really well, he has learned how to shoot the ball and he penetrates to the basket better than anyone else in all of basketball.

Of course, Rose wouldn't be complete without his sidekick, Carlos Boozer, who is averaging over 18 points per game and over nine rebounds per game so far this season. He is mainly on the Bulls to rebound and to provide an inside presence on the offensive end, as the Bulls have been desperately in need of an inside scorer over the past few seasons.

Kevin Durant of the Thunder is arguably the best scorer in the NBA right now, as he is on his way to winning his second scoring title of his career. He is an excellent shooter and a great ball handler, and he also rebounds fairly well as he is really long and athletic. He will be a superstar for years to come and he is still very young, just like his counterpart, Rose.

Of course, without Russell Westbrook feeding him the ball, Durant would not be the great scorer that he is. Westbrook is an excellent athlete, a good rebounder for his position, he plays defense really well and he has one of the quickest first steps in the NBA. If he and Durant could stay together on the Thunder over an extended period of time, they could form one of the best duos in NBA history. That's how good both of these kids are.

Role Players

Yes, the Bulls do have Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer and the Thunder do have Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. However, it's the role players that make both of these teams great, and these will be the players who will determine whether these two teams meet in the NBA Finals from 2012-2016.

The Bulls' best role player is Joakim Noah, who is arguably the best role player in the league. His hustle and intensity exemplify the way every NBA player should play. His on-court production is instrumental to the development of this team. Noah's rebounding and defense are atop the list of main reasons why the Bulls are one of the best teams in the NBA this year.

Luol Deng helps this team a lot with his scoring, Kyle Korver is there for his three-pointers and Keith Bogans is big on the defensive end. Other key role players who should be there for at least a few more years include CJ Watson, Omer Asik, Taj Gibson and Ronnie Brewer.

The best role player on the Thunder is Serge Ibaka, who's very comparable to Joakim Noah, as he is very athletic, he hustles a lot and he is very passionate. Just like Noah, his rebounding and defense help the Thunder a whole lot, as he blocks a lot of shots and scares people from going into the post. Teams will be even more scared to enter the post now with the addition of Kendrick Perkins and his defensive abilities. Perkins' defense and physical post play should prove to be the missing factor to the championship dreams of the Thunder.

Thabo Sefolosha helps a lot with his perimeter defense, while James Harden assists Durant and Westbrook with the scoring. Other key role players include Nick Collison, Eric Maynor and Nazr Mohammed.

Defense

Both of these teams, especially the Chicago Bulls, have the potential to be excellent defensive teams. In fact, the Bulls already are an excellent defensive team, as they currently rank second in opponents' points per game with 91.2. They play excellent team defense, due mainly to coach Tom Thibodeau making defense a priority for this team.

Derrick Rose has developed into one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. He steals a decent amount of balls and he is a good shot blocker for his size. Joakim Noah is one of the best rebounders in the game, and he is a very active defender in the post at all times. Keith Bogans is a very tough perimeter defender, which is the main reason why he starts for this team. Kurt Thomas and Taj Gibson help a lot on the defensive end as well, as Thomas is a tough post defender and Gibson rebounds and blocks the ball really well.

Although the Thunder rank in the middle in points per game allowed, the addition of Kendrick Perkins should help them tremendously, as the main thing they have been missing, this and last season, is a big, physical presence in the post to compliment the perimeter game. They found the perfect fit for this position in Perkins. By next year, he and Ibaka will combine to make up one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA.

Thabo Sefolosha is a superb on-the-ball defender, which is the main reason why he still has a starting job on this team. With Kevin Durant improving on defense every year and Russell Westbrook possessing amazing athleticism, it will not be long before this team is considered one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Youth and Aging Dynasties

The Bulls and Thunder are two of the quickest young teams in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder's core players (Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka and Perkins) average age is only 22.4, while the Chicago Bulls' core players (Rose, Boozer, Noah, Deng and Gibson) average age is 25.4 years old. As they continue to grow and blossom, many other top contenders are getting older and losing their speed and explosiveness.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have combined for five NBA Finals appearances over the last three years, and I expect both teams to be back there again this year. However, both of these teams rank near the top of the list of the oldest teams in the NBA. The Lakers have 10 players on their roster who are 30 years or older. Out of these 10 players, eight of them are a frequent part of Phil Jackson's rotation, which only has two players under the age of 30 in it. Although I feel like the Lakers have about three more good years of basketball left in them, I do not see them holding up with some of the younger NBA teams in all of those years.

Every member of the Celtics' Big Three is at least 33 years old. Two of their centers, Shaquille O'Neal (39) and Jermaine O'Neal (32), when healthy, are key contributors to this team, but both are also old and very fragile. The bottom line is that this team is starting to decline and will only decline at a faster pace as the roster gets older and older. Rajon Rondo will not be able to carry this team by himself when the three other key players get older, opening the door for a younger Chicago Bulls team to take control of the Eastern Conference.

Two other top teams that are aging very quickly are the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. Out of the four core members of the Spurs (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson), three of them are at least 33 and Tim Duncan is looking more and more fragile by the day. Even though they do have the best record in the NBA today, I do not see them holding up for 100 games per season (regular season and playoffs) after this year.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have seven members in their everyday rotation who are 31 years or older, including megastar Dirk Nowitzki (32), and one of the best all-around point guards in the game, Jason Kidd (37). Kidd is hinting at retirement soon and Nowitzki hasn't been able to lead the Mavericks to a championship celebration for what seems like forever. Don't expect that to change with the Thunder quickly emerging as the best and most exciting team in the Western Conference.

Coaching

The Thunder's coach is the reigning Coach of the Year winner, Scott Brooks, and the Bulls coach is this year's Coach of the Year candidate, Tom Thibodeau. Both of these coaches are absolutely fantastic and they have worked hard to get where they are now. Both have a lot of experience in the playoffs as assistant coaches. With both teams threatening to go deep into the playoffs this year, they should gain another year of playoff experience, which will help them out for next year and the years to come.

Scott Brooks was responsible for one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history last year, as his team won 50 games after winning only 23 games the previous year. Prior to joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooks was an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under George Karl, which probably worked to his benefit. This year his team is on pace to win 54 games, meaning that the Thunder are improving year by year, and I wouldn't count on that trend to stop next year.

Tom Thibodeau is in his first year as the Bulls head coach. With 14 games remaining to the season, his team has already won eight more games than all of last year. Thibodeau completely changed the philosophy of this team around, mainly on the defensive end. So far this season, the Bulls are allowing just under eight points per game fewer than they did last year.

Thibodeau benefited a lot as the assistant coach to Doc Rivers. During his three years as the assistant coach of the Boston Celtics, his defensive philosophy helped lead the team to two NBA Finals appearances and a championship. This ultimately led to the Bulls hiring him as the head coach and they have been a much better team ever since.

Five Possible Roadblocks

Miami Heat: With three megastars, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, I will never write the Miami Heat out of championship contention until one or more of these guys are not on the team anymore. The bottom line is that quality, aging players looking for a championship ring will want to come play for the Miami Heat in the upcoming years. This will eventually add depth to this team, which could kill championship dreams for the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City.

Injuries: Injuries could derail any team. The Bulls and Thunder are no exception. The Bulls have already had to deal with constant injuries to their two starting post players in Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah this season. So they are very aware that injuries do occur and that they can have a negative impact on a team, even though the Bulls have handled them really well this year.

The Thunder, on the other hand, have been blessed with amazing health over the last two years. However, one small accident can end the season for one of their star players in the blink of an eye. Also, with the addition of Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder acquired not only a physical post presence, but also an injury-prone center who has already missed a majority of his games since he was acquired by this team.

Lockout: If the current CBA expires and the players and owners are unable to reach an agreement for a new CBA, a lockout could occur, which would seriously hurt a lot of teams. Although these two teams are very young and would still have a lot of bright years ahead of them after the lockout, a year off would take away an entire season of youth and prime years of play from all the young players on both of these teams. Surely, the NBA doesn't want this, as postponing this NBA Finals matchup till 2013 would upset a lot of fans.

No extensions for the point guards: Although this will not be a problem for both of these teams until after the 2011-2012 season, if Westbrook and Rose are not extended by then, they will become free agents. Sure, they will be restricted free agents, which means that both of these teams will be able to match any offers other teams make, but other teams will be doing their best to avoid that by probably offering maximum contracts. These teams will be hoping that the Bulls and Thunder are too cheap to pay up for their star point guards.

Aging dynasties: The same reason why these two teams benefit could also be the reason why these two teams do not meet each other in the NBA Finals for the next five years. Sure, age does help a team decline a lot, but it does not mean that a team and its players will lose all the talent and skill they possess. In my opinion, the Celtics will still be a dangerous team for at least one more year after this season, up until Kevin Garnett's and Ray Allen's contracts expire. Who knows? Maybe these two players will still decide to re-sign with the team, making them dangerous for however long the lengths of the contracts are.

The Lakers have Kobe Bryant and Paul Gasol under contract for three more years after this season, so don't expect them to be out of championship contention as long as those two players are still there. Bryant will make sure that as long as he is there, his team is competitive and always fighting for an NBA championship.

Finally, as long as Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan are still on the Spurs and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are still on the Mavericks, these two teams will be appearing in the playoffs. Regardless of what seed they are in the playoffs, they will be a dangerous matchup for any team, as they possess a lot of playoff experience and cohesiveness—two key aspects to championship teams.