The NBA Playoffs: The Western Conference Finals

         The Western Conference Finals this year features a very intriguing match-up: the old-style and established veterans and former champion San Antonio Spurs, with such marquee names as Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Ginobli, against the young and rising Oklahoma City Thunder. Will veteran leadership win out and hold the surging Thunder, or will youth be served? Will Oklahoma City break through and reach the NBA Finals, or will the Spurs manage to keep them at bay, and relegate them to remaining with the status of the team of the future, or next year’s team? 

Both teams look good, and I mean, scary good. Oklahoma City got to the Western Conference Finals last year, as well, but they fell to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. They rebounded from that loss to have an excellent season this year, running with the elites and generally seeming to hold the best record in the league, until San Antonio pulled it away from them right at the end, to earn the top seed. But Oklahoma City swept the Mavericks in the first round this season, exacting a sweet measure of revenge from their disappointing exit in last year’s playoffs, and they then dismantled the Lakers in five in the next round. Those are some big names to have beaten, but now, they are facing their toughest challenge yet. 

For their part, the Spurs look scary. They finished the regular season with a flurry, on a strong winning streak to clinch the top record in the league, and they hardly have been seriously challenged in the Western Conference playoffs so far, having swept the Utah Jazz in the first round, and then managing to sweep the young and surging Clippers in the second round, and should be as well rested as possible – which could very well benefit the older, veteran Spurs, and possibly even cool off the red-hot Thunder. Just as a side note, this was a strike shortened season for the NBA, and remember that the last time that happened, the Spurs were the number one seed and won the championship, making it look easy, back in 1999. It was their first ever championship, and they have added three more rings since, so perhaps history is on their side. They are going into this series at full strength. 

So, who has the advantage? Experience is definitely an advantage for the Spurs, but the Thunder went this far last year, an d have not only gained some very valuable playoff experience each of the last two post-seasons, but they have shown remarkable composure under intense pressure often times. They also are a very deadly team even when they seem dead in the water, having had numerous come from behind victories in the first two rounds of the playoffs, including Game Two against the Los Angeles Lakers, when they were down by seven and seemed destined to lose, only to have a remarkably quick turnaround to pull off a very unlikely comeback for a 2-0 series lead. They did it again in Game 4 on the road, and that proved to be, for all intents and purposes, the backbreaker for the veteran Lakers. 

Still, the Spurs are hotter and quicker than those Lakers were, who seemed to have all sorts of problems throughout the season, so you cannot say that this will be a repeat of that series, for all intents and purposes. Also, the Thunder will have to start this series on the road. That might, or might not, make a difference. 
Ultimately, this is a close call, and I will say outright, that I would not be shocked no matter who wins this series. It is a tough call. My instincts tell me that the Spurs, with home court advantage, should be able to apply enough pressure on the younger Thunder to be in solid position heading down the decisive stretch later in the series, and that the Thunder will not find the ability to so completely dominate the early part of the series, that a victory is never really in question, like they did against the Mavericks and the Lakers. It certainly seems unlikely that the Spurs would be able to completely dominate OKC like they did their first two opponents, either. This team will force the Spurs to turn it up a few notches. I am going to guess that this will be a long series, probably going back and forth. It should go at least six, and possibly will head to a decisive Game 7. My head tells me experience should prevail, and that the Spurs will eke out a narrow victory against the Thunder, but something tells me that OKC is hitting their stride at just the right time, and that they are more ready than ever before for this kind of a challenge. This one is very hard to tell, and I hesitate to make a prediction, but I will anyway: 
Oklahoma City will probably pull it off and head towards their first ever NBA Finals. Youth will be served.