Heat, Spurs to battle in NBA Finals rematch

After one of the greatest playoffs in recent memory, the NBA Finals are finally here. This year’s matchup is one almost every basketball fan wanted: a rematch of last year’s outstanding Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won last year’s series in seven games, thanks to one of the greatest shots in NBA history (taken by Ray Allen, the greatest 3-point shooter of all time no less) in the waning moments of the now-legendary Game Six. That game also featured a superhuman performance from 4-time league MVP LeBron James and an unheralded collapse from the ever-steady, machine-like Spurs. The series had everything: last second shots, thunderous dunks, role players stepping up and future Hall-of-Famers playing brilliantly. Former Miami Heat player Mike Miller, now a Grizzly, even drained a shot while wearing one shoe. This year’s series provides the veteran Spurs a chance at revenge. They were as close as you can get to winning an NBA championship last year without actually winning it. It could be the last hurrah for the quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich, but people have been saying that about them for almost a decade now. For the Heat, they have a chance to join the elite of the elite when it comes to great NBA teams. Only Bill Russell’s Celtics, Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics had made four straight Finals appearances before the Heat joined them this year. Only Russell’s Celtics, Michael Jordan’s Bulls and the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers have ever won three championships in a row. A win...

Heat, Thunder look to strike in NBA playoffs

After a season full of surprising upstarts, fantastic play, intriguing storylines and the Miami Heat Harlem Shake video, I am more than ready for this year’s NBA playoffs. With an unbelievably talented Western Conference and everyone in the Eastern Conference gunning for the Heat’s throne, this is shaping up to be one of the best playoffs in a decade. Let’s jump right in to my 2013 NBA playoff predictions. All seeds are my projections. Eastern Conference First Round 1. Miami Heat vs. 8. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis will have a game where they catch fire and score a combined 60 points, which will be the only thing keeping this series from being a sweep. 2. New York Knicks vs. 7. Boston Celtics: If Rajon Rondo were still healthy, this series would be much different. The return of all their injured players, combined with the hot streak Carmelo Anthony is on, makes this series a fairly easy one for New York. 3. Indiana Pacers vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith and company will end their streak of second round exits this year…by exiting in the first round. The Pacers balanced play should win them the series. 4. Brooklyn Nets vs. 5. Chicago Bulls: This Bulls team will not go away. Without the injured Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, they still somehow managed to capture the fifth seed in the East. I think their toughness will be enough to knock out Deron Williams and the underachieving Nets. Second Round 1.  Miami Heat vs. 5. Chicago Bulls: Even though the gritty Bulls ended the Miami Heat’s record-approaching win streak,...