I’m choosing OKC in 5 or 6. I think they have too much defense at the rim between Ibaka, Perkins, and Collison, and have too many offensive weapons even for Miami to match up with. You have to figure LBJ will have to guard Durant most of the time (I think Durant will absolutely eat Battier alive), and Durant will eventually run LBJ into the ground with all the screening action OKC does for him.

The last team I can think of that fits the bill is the 1981 Celtics (and even there, it requires you to count Kevin McHale in his rookie season as being better than Tiny Archibald for the fourth best Celtic after Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish).

Before that, the 1979 Seattle Supersonics count (although, again, only if you count Lonnie Shelton as #4 instead of Fred Brown behind Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams).

The 1977 Portland Trailblazers are probably the best comparison, though, in the sense that the Blazers were a yoooooooooooooooung team.

BigBlueAL: If OKC wins it all, wont it be unprecedented for a team whose core is that young to win it all especially in their first trip to the Finals?? Their 4 best players (KD, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka) are 23, 23, 22 and 22 years old!!

Those ages are a little misleading. Looking quickly you would think they barely have 6 or 7 years of experience combined. But, Durant has played 5 seasons, WB =4, and Harden/Ibaka have played 3.

They’re young but not wet behind the ears. What is crazy is that if they win it all, then find a way to keep the team in tact, they could win a lot….not 6, not 7….OK, i’ll stop.

jon abbey: I personally don’t understand why anyone cares who shakes hands or not. if you want to copy hockey, last night’s Kings/Devils game featured a three person fight minutes from the end with at least 20 cumulative punches thrown. the refs broke it up, assessed meaningless matching minors, and the game went on, business as usual. can you imagine the equivalent in the NBA Finals? people would be calling for career-long bans.

Separate issue; I would also take a hard line on hockey fights, automatic ejection and major suspensions for fighting. The handshake thing is pretty cool, though.

if you want to copy hockey, last night’s Kings/Devils game featured a three person fight minutes from the end with at least 20 cumulative punches thrown. the refs broke it up, assessed meaningless matching minors, and the game went on, business as usual. can you imagine the equivalent in the NBA Finals? people would be calling for career-long bans.

I think the NBA should have a rule that players have to shake hands or be subject to heavy fines, it is just bad for the league’s image. In hockey, players who punch and cheap shot the shit out of each other manage to do it.

Agreed. It’d be such a simple rule to implement and no one could seriously argue with it.

I’ll be rooting big time for OKC, more because I love Durant than I hate LeBron. Should be a fun series!

@1 As much as Garnett is a warrior and all that, he really is a punk at heart; according to players around the league he’s one of the biggest trash talkers in the NBA, and we know all too well his mastery of the dirty screen. And Rondo’s issues with the coach and teammates have been well documented.

Dirk did the same thing as those two after game 6 last year, but I believe it was because he was so emotional he needed to retreat to the locker room to gather himself. Plus he was the winner, so there wasn’t much reason to be petulant (unless he was still mad about the LeBron and Wade cough mocking episode)