NBA Finals Preview

The NBA finals is once again amongst us.  Here's a preview of the matchups presented in the starting line ups and my prediction of who will be crowned NBA champion for the 2012-2013 season.

Point Guard: By no means, am I fan of Mario Chalmers, but I will admit the dude is a tough defender and a big game player who shows up when the money's on the line just ask D. Rose and John Calipari.  On the other side of the spectrum you have Tony Parker, who was making a strong case for a regular season MVP bid before getting hit by the injury bug towards the end of the season.  Parker is probably the most productive yet underrated Point Guard of our generation and is averaging just under 22 ppg and 8 apg during the '12-13 playoffs.  I don't think there's any comparison here as Tony Parker is a top 6 PG in the league and Mario Chalmers is well Mario Chalmers

Advantage:  Tony Parker and the Spurs

Shooting Guard:  According to the numbers Danny Green is one of the best  3 pt specialist in the NBA shooting 43% from beyond the arc during the regular season and you guessed it 43% in this years playoffs.  Don't be enamored by those numbers because that isn't Green's only niche, the former UNC Tarheel is an excellent defender whose do it all defensive mentality is one of the main reasons why the Spurs are so good.  Manu Ginoboli may come off the bench but he plays starter minutes and has been rolling in these playoffs averaging just under 14 ppg. If Manu is able to score and play make the way he's capable of and avoid showing signs of a hamstring injury that plagued him during the regular season, the Spurs will be hard to beat.   On the other hand you have Dwyane Wade whose troublesome knees have had him looking like Charles Barkley after the Monstars took his talent in Space Jam of late.  If he's able to play this series the way he did in game 7 of the Indiana series, 21 points and 9 boards, expect the Heat to put extreme pressure on the Spurs.

Advantage:  Spurs 

Small Forward:  Yes Kawhii Leonard has a 7'3" wing span, which is the larger than 7 footer Andrew Bynum's, yes Leonard is an excellent defender whose improving offensive game has been an asset for the Spurs all year, but he's matched up against the best player in the World in LeBron James.

Advantage:  The King and the Miami Heat

Power Forward:  This is the position that is up for question because we really don't know who the starters could be.  Both teams slide in different players depending on match ups, and all those match ups provide different things for each team.  With this being said we should expect to see Tiago Splitter start at the 4 for the Spurs, he is an excellent low post defender, who also defends the pick and roll well and uses his 7 ft. plus frame to cause problems for opposing teams in the low post.

Advantage:  Even 

Center:  Chris Bosh is not the Chris Bosh I remember from Toronto, if he fails to grab rebounds every game in this series like he did in the Indiana series, it could be a long series for the Heat's frontline.  On the other side, Tim Duncan is arguably the best player of our generation, only one player in my opinion has been better and that's the 5x champion Kobe Bean Bryant .  At age 37 there's still no question the great impact the 4x NBA champion Duncan has both offensively and defensively for the Spurs.  Although Bosh is an NBA All Star this one's a no brainer.

Advantage:  The Big Fundamental and the Spurs 

Coaching:  Eric Spoelstra has improved as a coach every year since he's been in the league and if you watched the Eastern Conference Finals, you saw him out coach the Pacers Frank Vogel in key situations.  Coach Spo has led the Heat to 3 finals appearances in five season as Head Coach of the Miami Heat, and is one of the best young coaches in the L.  However in this case he's facing the mastermind..... Gregg Popovich who is not only a 4x NBA champion but the longest tenured coach in the NBA, the advantage is obvious.

Advantage: Spurs 

Prediction:  Spurs in 6 with Tony Parker being crowned Finals MVP and Tim Duncan possibly riding off into the sunset like Ray Lewis