2013 NBA Finals Preview

The path to the NBA Finals has been eerily similar to 2012 for the Miami Heat. They breezed through the East Quarters, got a tougher than expected battle in the East Semis, got pushed to the brink of elimination in the East Finals, and now face a red hot team with the Larry O'Brien trophy on the line. Will it be the same result as last year? We will find out within the next couple weeks. Miami became the first team to win three consecutive Eastern Conference titles since the Bulls did it from 1996 to 1998. They will meet the San Antonio Spurs this time around. Miami was shocked the last time they squared off with a team from Texas in the NBA Finals, losing to Dallas 4-2 back in 2011. The Spurs are no stranger to championship competition. They have won four NBA title since 1999, all coming with Gregg Popovich on the sideline and Tim Duncan on the court. Some things never change, as those two men are hungry to bring a fifth title to San Antonio and their first since 2007 when the Spurs swept LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here is how I see the NBA Finals playing out, with a positional breakdown.

      
1 Miami (-205) vs. 2 San Antonio (+175)

How they got here:

Miami beat - Milwaukee 4-0, Chicago 4-1, Indiana 4-3
San Antonio beat - LA Lakers 4-0, Golden State 4-2, Memphis 4-0

PG - Mario Chalmers vs. Tony Parker
SG - Dwayne Wade vs. Danny Green
SF - LeBron James vs. Kawhi Leonard
PF - Udonis Haslem vs. Tim Duncan
C - Chris Bosh vs. Tiago Splitter
Bench - Miami vs. San Antonio
Coach - Erik Spoelstra vs. Gregg Popovich

Both Miami and San Antonio have a Big Three on their teams. Miami's is younger, flashier, and more popular. That doesn't mean they are better. At least not at the moment. Miami has LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. San Antonio has Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. The Heat's Big Three was brought together for one reason and one reason only - to create a dynasty. Nobody could have foreseen three championships with a potential fourth for the Spurs' big three. Whoever gets the best play from their stars will raise a championship banner. The Spurs get the edge of Duncan over Bosh. Due to injuries, D-Wade and Ginobili is a wash. And as good as Tony Parker has been this entire season, he's not LeBron James. It seems pretty even. So it comes down to one thing, who has the best player on the court? That's a no-brainer. LeBron James will lead the Heat to back-to-back NBA titles.

Prediction - Miami over San Antonio 4-2

Ringer's Playoff Series Record:  10-4