(1) Miami Heat v (2) New York Knicks The Knicks are back in the conference finals! The Garden crowd will be rocking every night as the Knicks try to take down the Heat. Its always a blast to see two of the biggest markets meet in a high stakes matchup and these games could end up being quite close. The best chance the Knicks have against the Heat is size so look for Tyson Chandler to be used more offensively while well undoubtedly still get a dynamite performance out of Carmelo v LeBron. In the end, the Heat have been in too many big games together to lose this one and theyll book another place in the Finals. Again, the Knicks health is paramount but if everyone is fine, they can pose a serious threat to the Heat with a foundation of strong inside defence but for now they arent quite good enough to make it past LeBron and co. Result: Heat win 4-2
Predictions: NBA Finals
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v (1) Miami Heat Thats right, its a Finals rematch. The Thunder will get another crack at the Heat and this time looks to be more successful than last years one win outing. The Heat defensive scheme last year was to let Durant find his points while taking away the other options. Durant can score from anywhere on the floor, but through stopping Russell Westbrook and forcing him to make mental errors, the Heat found a winning formula. They also have tight defence in clutch situations and the Thunder dont have a scoring big man to get them flustered inside. The key to the series is Westbrook who, if he can remain calm and keep turnovers down, should see a much better series than last year. Miami on the other hand simply need to maintain what theyve been doing all season long. Tight defence for forty eight minutes, feed LeBron who can create for himself or others, utilise Ray Allen for some firepower off the bench and let Chris Bosh deal with the Thunders best forward scoring option, Serge Ibaka. The Heat bench looks to be a little better than the Thunders, having key role players in Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller and Chris Anderson who can provide specific skills that cover the whole floor. Its these weapons off the bench that make me pick the Heat to repeat their championship win. The Thunder are better than last year, but cant provide the same amount of pressure throughout the game the way the Heat can. LeBron and Durant will be a stellar matchup, but LeBron will unfortunately get the better of the two again. Result: Heat win 4-2 Finals MVP: LeBron James Thank you for reading my NBA playoff preview and predictions, what do you think? Who do you have coming out of the East and the West? Which upsets might happen? Leave a comment in the section below!
A Cinema and Photography graduate whose media exposure has amounted to little more than an amateur comics society podcast and a one minute radio discussion about cantaloupe melons. Reader of Vertigo, watcher of Doctor Who, lover of everything film. Tweet in his direction @Story24