2012 NBA Playoffs - Western Conference Finals

The Western Conference Playoffs have virtually been all chalk thus far, save the Clippers minor upset of the Grizzlies. The Spurs and Thunder have been simply dominant. San Antonio has not lost a game in nearly 6 weeks and they are a perfect 8-0 in the postseason. Oklahoma City has been nearly as impressive with an 8-1 postseason record in defeating the last 2 Western Conference champions on their way to their 2nd straight Conference Finals appearance. Many think that the winner of this series will go on to win the NBA Finals. Here is how I see it shaking out, with a breakdown of who holds the advantage in some positional matchups.



1 San Antonio (-180) vs. 2 Oklahoma City (+150)

How they got here:

San Antonio beat - Utah 4-0, LA Clippers 4-0
Oklahoma City beat - Dallas 4-0, LA Lakers 4-1

PG - Tony Parker vs. Russell Westbrook
SG - Danny Green vs. Thabo Sefolosha
SF - Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant
PF - Boris Diaw vs. Serge Ibaka
C - Tim Duncan vs. Kendrick Perkins
Bench - San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City
Coach - Gregg Popovich vs. Scott Brooks

The Spurs have looked unstoppable to this point. They have a perfect blend of youth and experience and have been clicking on all cylinders. They will be squaring off with the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder. Both teams will have plenty of rest heading into the series, with the way they have dismantled the competition. These teams are built very similarly which should make for a pretty even matchup. The team whose Big 3 plays the best will advance to the NBA Finals. San Antonio has Duncan, Parker, and Ginboli while Oklahoma City counters with Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. It is awfully difficult to pick against the Spurs right now, but I picked the Thunder to come out of the West before the season started and then again before the Playoffs started. I expect Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and company to come up big and lead the Thunder to their first NBA Finals.

Prediction - Oklahoma City over San Antonio 4-3