Thuder will win Game 1

How was that continuation on Lebrons basket?

He gets fouled at the 3 point line, and takes 2 steps then dunks it and they count it

WHAT?

Sick of Miami getting star calls.

Some interesting calls. Refs are keeping Miami in it.

Sefolosha was super in that second half. OKC were like a tidal wave.

Lebron gets away with a hell of a lot; even before moving to the Heat.

The guy nevers gets called for shuffling or for changing pivot feet he's in the post.

Lebron is the obvious example of getting 'treatment' nowadays. However I remember Shaq used to swap pivot feet a lot and was never called on it.

I suppose if you did call every player in the NBA on travel calls, NBL teams would score higher.

Thunder are too balanced, have too many weapons and play good defence. The Heat will wilt in 5.

Just quietly has anyone else been thinking that the Thunder have the best chance since the shaq-Kobe Lakers to string a three peat together?

MACDUB, I looked at the Lebron continuation dunk and even without the NBA continuation rule, this is correct according to FIBA rules.

As soon as the offensive player is in the first step on a lay up or prior to a dunk ie "in the act of shooting" if a foul is called then they go to the line.

It's only because Lebron is so athletic and can jump from way out before dunking.

Take another look, it's not a star call it's a correct call

He wasn't in the act of shooting though

He was dribbling the damn ball, got fouled, picked the ball up, took 2 steps and dunked it.

Does that mean if Im dribbling at halfway, I can get fouled take 2 steps and throw up a shot and say I was in the act of shooting. NO

Who seriously cares if it was or wasn't a foul? Bottom line is that LeBron once again was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and OKC won the game.

I think OKC will win this series in 6. Rondo killed Miami in the conference finals and Westbrook is by far a better shooter than Rondo, who you could guard a few steps off.

I'm really interested to see what happens to Miami should they lose this series. Wade is 30 and clearly slowing down, he's not the player he was a few years ago. Bosh is a nice piece but he doesn't really have the size to play down low (weight wise) so he is limited in that regard, i.e. he's not a banger inside. Is Chalmers someone who will step up like Rondo has and become an elite 1 in the league?

Bottom line is that you need an elite point guard to win in the playoffs. Rondo, Westbrook, Parker etc. If the Heat want to keep this roster without an elite point guard running it, they probably should look at incorporating more of the triangle offence.

Did anyone else notice this is the first NBA finals between two teams with conceptual nicknames? WHAT? Why not?

snap Curtley! I noticed, right about the time I was writing my post above.

'Bottom line is that you need an elite point guard to win in the playoffs. Rondo, Westbrook, Parker etc.'

Last three championship winning team PG's - Kidd, Fisher and Fisher. More of needing an experienced PG instead of an elite one.

I think a championship team needs a center/big front line

Dallas - Chandler : Boy he was huge for them

Lakers - Bynum :Averaged 15 and 8 over the two years they won + Gasol although more of a PF is 7"0 (twin towers almost). Lakers 04 team also featured Shaq.

Heat - 06, they had Shaq who averaged 18 and 10 in 2006 playoffs.

Celtics - KG and Perk absolutely killed the paint when operating in tandem.


The Heat don't really have a big center who can crash the boards and defend the paint. Bosh is more comfortable around the knuckle region. And frankly, Joel Anthony is so far off even been a solid center.

On the other hand, OKC have 4 guys 6"10 +.
Perk, Ibaka and Collision just destroy the paint for OKC

The Lakers made up for their lack of an elite point guard because they run the triangle. The triangle doesn't require the offense to strictly be run through the point guard position like most conventional offences. As for Kidd, he still averaged over 7 assists per game in the 2011 playoffs so the offence was still running through him. If we look at how the league is evolving, it's becoming more and more clear that the top teams have elite point guards with the exception of Miami. Westbrook is absolutely going to destroy Miami this series.

I agree that in the past an elite big man was crucial to winning a championship. I think the formula to winning a championship now (with a conventional offence) is to have an elite point guard, a banger inside who can crash the boards and a second guy who can make their own shot. The second guy is able to spread the floor and give other guys open looks.

I would go as far as saying that with the exception of the Thunder, if Westbrook was substituted in for Rondo with Boston's starting lineup, I think that the Celtics would then have the right balance to win a championship. Then again, that's just the way I like to build a team.