The west sure has been, well, wild. Nine combined rings between Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant could not save them from early elimination. Youth has been served, as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have each had iconic moments. Monkeys have been shed, as Dallas is back in the Conference Finals for the first time since ’06, after four straight disappointing exits. So, who will represent the West in the NBA Finals?
Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (4)
Key Match-ups:
PG: Jason Kidd vs. Russell Westbrook
SG: Jason Terry vs. James Harden
SF: Shawn Marion vs. Kevin Durant
PF: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Serge Ibaka
C: Tyson Chandler vs. Kendrick Perkins
This is the ultimate youth vs. experience battle. The Thunder has one of their best five players over the age of 22, Kendrick Perkins at an ancient 26. The Mavs are led by a 38-year-old point guard in Jason Kidd, and a bunch of title-hungry vets that sense their window of opportunity for a championship is closing rapidly.
Kidd’s days as a defensive stopper are long gone. He may not have a chance at guarding Westbrook, one of the premiere athletes in the league, one-on-one, but the 7’1” Tyson Chandler will help to curtail Westbrook’s ferocious onslaughts on the rim. Westbrook may settle for jumpers early. His inconsistency here is what separates him from MVP Derrick Rose. We have seen Westbrook be a little overconfident in his abilities, shooting too much, and forgetting he has the most gifted scorer in the league on his side in Kevin Durant.
Over-shooting did not prove fatal against Memphis, as he knew when to back off in crucial games. However, OKC was clearly the better team against he Grizzlies, and that series should not have gone seven games. In their three losses in the Semifinals, Westbrook shot 22, 22, and 23 times. In their four wins, he shot 10, 12, 22, and 33 (a triple overtime aberration) times. The Thunder is not the clear-cut better team against Dallas as they were Memphis, and overshooting from Westbrook will kill them here. Look for Kidd to allow Westbrook the jumper, while setting the pace with pinpoint passes for the Dallas offense.
James Harden played his best basketball of the season against Memphis, averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the series. OKC will need more of the same against Jason Terry, who has been on a tear in the postseason, including a record nine three-pointer game in the decisive blowout against the Lakers. Terry’s hot shooting alone should win Dallas at least one game in this series.
Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki might be the two toughest covers in the league. Both are damn near 7 feet tall, and are a threat to score from anywhere on the court. Dirk is slightly more post-oriented, while Durant is the better three-point shooter. Serge Ibaka will get the first crack at defending Dirk, with Shawn Marion doing the same against the Durantula. However, expect both teams to throw everything but the kitchen sink against the others’ premiere scorer. By the end of the series, we should be seeing what I think should be a rule in the NBA: the two best players on the court guarding each other. We could be looking at an epic scoring match-up here. I’m talking Bird vs. Wilkins in ’88 and LeBron vs. Pierce in ’08. If Dirk takes the series he should be handed a WWE- like belt, screaming at the top of a podium, “AAHHHHHH TAKE DAT WIT CHEW!!!!!”
Tyson Chandler is the X-Factor in this series. Without him protecting the four feet in front of the rim, Westbrook would drive right past Jason Kidd and throw down thunderous dunk after thunderous dunk. People forget Chandler was a member of the Thunder for all of one day in February of ’09, before they decided they didn’t want him. Chandler was a monster against the Thunder in the regular season. 7’1”, 235 lbs of pissed off athletic center is not something any point guard wants to drive against. I like Kendrick Perkins to do the same for OKC, if not for the fact that he is not pre-knee surgery Kendrick Perkins. His value is never measured by stats, but his dip from 7 points, 8 rebounds with the Celtics last season, to 4 and 6 with less than a block per game with OKC is pretty telling.
Dallas has been playing like a team on a mission. They haven’t lost a game since blowing that 23- point lead against Portland. I was on Dallas’ bandwagon for most of the regular season, and hopped off just in time to be made a fool of in the postseason. Consider me back on.
Pick: Dallas 4-3
(TAKE DAT WIT CHEW!!!!!!)