Sports Daily: The Inevitable Champions?

[Jamesmaster]

It all depends on Parker's and Ginobili's health imo. The Spurs should close out their series asap and get as much rest as possible. To me the Spurs look better than last year and I seriously doubt the Heat have been tested so far. Should be a great finals as long as the Spurs defeat the Thunder.
I like the Thunder but no way are they able to win the title with an injured Ibaka (he can't be 100% if they'd reach the finals), a "human" Durant and the inevitable crazy bricks of Westbrook.

[MrBill]

Los Spurs over the Thunder in 6 and the Heat in 5.

[bakan723]

That's the big knock against the NBA. The predictability of the teams at the end, ect..

I don't like it that there's only a very few amount of teams which actually have a chance to win the whole thing, but I've come to grips and now expect to be disappointed with the end result (Knicks fan)

I just enjoy the little things more, the ride that leads up to it. (first round was awesome this year)

Not so much the big picture.

[spidertour02]

**coughTheNBAisriggedcough**

[elgreazy1]

Might as well crown them already **rolls eyes**

[MossMan84]

This is why basketball has taken a back seat for me. You pretty much know the teams that will be in the conference championships and finals every year so its not that much fun! I think this stacking teams shouldnt be possible. Every smart person could see back when Lebron n Bosh signed with Miami it was a done deal that they would dominate the league! Its really not fair. If you look at the last 35yrs of basketball like 5-teams share something like 28 of the 35 NBA titles so where is the parity? The rich get richer thing just doesnt make any sense? Hopefully something changes?

[VDusen04]

Yes, it has all felt inevitable for me since 2010, which is why I have never been in favor of the rightful and legal decisions made by Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh (and eventually a slew of excellent role players such as Shane Battier, Mike Miller, and Ray Allen). I felt the Heat were just a bunch of disjointed Dream Teamers in '11, not understanding how to play with any extended sort of togetherness or flow, yet they still came a legendary game 2 comeback away from winning the whole thing anyhow. Once they even kind of discovered they couldn't all average 28 per game, winning has been a foregone conclusion for me ever since.

As someone who is not a Miami Heat fan, it's been kind of tough to see how easy it was for the second greatest player of the past 30 years to team up with two fellow Dream Teamers and come about as close as one can to making a bevy of NBA championships a foregone conclusion. As someone who is a fan of competition and the idea that winning shouldn't just be as easy as the greatest players deciding to join up together in a random city, it's been a bummer.

It always reminds me of those times on the playground where there's three players who are clearly the best on the court (sometimes four or five) and they only agree to play on eachother's team. No captains, picking for squads, shooting 'em up - just always the same top talent together, who then proceed to predictably trounce everyone, yapping it up the whole way. It's good they've all developed their games to be so great, but what's the point? You're winning, but only after one has stacked the odds incredibly in their own favor. What does winning even mean at that point? You took the best players, piled them up, and largely defeated many teams who are likely weaker in part because you've taken their talent.

All that said, I still understand it was their right to make those decisions. I just do not favor it from a single fan's perspective.

[The 24th Letter]

All I ever cared about is the competitive side of it...if MIA had steamrolled their way to the last two ships ('00 Laker style) then maybe I would feel different...the way people talk about last year, we should have half a trophy....it was a heck of a series that pushed them to the max...that's all I can ask for...and I don't see this year being an easy chip either...I don't think they'll win it TBH