NBA Finals Look Ahead

And now the NBA Finals are all set: starting Thursday night, it's the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Miami Heat...the matchup everybody - fans, media, viewers - wanted. To be honest, had the Pacers shocked the Heat tonight, oh it would have been casual viewers heading on over to watch America's Got Talent or looking forward to the NFL season more than this. But now, it's the matchup between a defending champion featuring the top player of the moment and making their 3rd straight trip to the Finals, against a dynasty that's won four NBA titles based in a mid-major market and built around one of the game's top players in Tim Duncan.

If there's a thing to look forward to in these Finals, it's the fact of these teams will be at full strength with a Larry O'Brien Trophy at stake (I would suspect it'll be renamed for Commissioner David Stern come next year). And when they met in their 2 regular season meetings, both didn't have either their big lineups in both. In their 1st matchup where the Spurs gave their big 3 a healthy scratch & caught the Commish's ire in a hefty fine, the Heat's Big 3 took a 105-100 win in Miami. And in Game 2 in Alamo City, LBJ & Wade didn't play and the Spurs' Big 3 did and made a game of it, dropping just only an 88-85 final.

After this classic Eastern Conference Finals duel with Paul George and the Pacers, the Heat will try to not only win their third NBA title, but become just the fifty franchise in NBA history to win back-to-back titles. For the well-rested Spurs (thanks to a sweep of the Grizzlies), even though they've not done the back-to-back, they are looking for their fifth title since 1999.

So, this should be a great NBA finals: Interesting matchup, two great teams, some of the top players in this league, and two of the game's greats going up against each other for the second time on the game's greatest stage. Last time in 2007 in the least-watched Finals ever, LeBron & his Cavs were swept by the Spurs on his home court. This time, now everyone will be watching as LeBron has some unfinished business to attend to, not only as the central figure but as the top player in this league.

And for me, The Association determining their champion is another great thing for me to look forward to when summer arrives and when the temps start to reach its peak. It's always been my favorite sport, and the one that's always dominated the sports talk among me, my dad & bro-in-law going all the way back to when my dad lived in the Philippines where hoops has always been the favorite team sport in the motherland. All I have to say is: Bring on The Finals. It all begins Thursday might.