After narrowly escaping the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat will be next in line to face the Oklahoma City Thunderâ€"this time with the stakes much higher.
In a matchup destined to occur at some point, the series will feature the talents of the two best players in the league, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, as well as the most star-studded teams.
After blowing by opponents in the first three rounds, the Thunder will look to continue their dominance, while the Heat will try to grab hold of a title after failing to secure one last season.
Here's a look at how it will all go down.
Game 1: Heat at Thunder, Tuesday, June 12th, 9 PM
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From the opening tipoff to the closing seconds of Game 1, the Thunder will assume control of the series. After a remarkable comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder will maintain their perfect home record with an easy win over the Miami Heat.
After garnering the momentum with four consecutive victories, the Thunder will dominate from the start, with Kevin Durant leading the attack. While LeBron James will control him to an extent, he won't be able to contain him enough to entirely shut him down.
Serge Ibaka will have one of his best games of the playoffs with his matchup being more favorable than any that he has experienced to this point in the postseason. With Tim Duncan in the Conference Finals and the duo of Gasol And Bynum posing a threat in the opening round, the still-injured Chris Bosh will be shut down by Ibaka.
With the extra days of rest as well as the home-court advantage, the Thunder will breeze by Miami in the opening game of the 2012 NBA Finals.
Game 2: Heat at Thunder, Thursday, June 14th, 9 PM
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After building the momentum with a Game 1 victory, the Thunder will continue their postseason dominance in the second game.
Once again, the luxury of the fans will be a huge factor, as will their overall confidence.
This game, Russell Westbrook will put the team on his back and carry the Thunder past the Heat with an outstanding scoring night. Harden will be a big help off the bench, with Durant having his fair share of contributions.
The Heat are, as has been demonstrated throughout their first few years together, an emotional squad, and after barely escaping the Celtics in a seven-game showdown, the crushing loss in Game 1 will take its toll on their confidence.
Wade and James will have a rocky performance as the Thunder steal the show for a second straight night.
A victory in Game 2 will further set the tone for the series, as the win will give Oklahoma City an early 2-0 lead over Miami.
Game 3: Thunder at Heat, Sunday, June 17th, 8 PM
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With a change of venue, the momentum of this series will take a shift as Miami gains control with a win.
After a disappointing start to the Finals, the Heat will protect their home court, and get their revenge, making the series 2-1.
While the Heat are an emotional squad, losing often helps them regain focus, as seen in Game 6, in which they destroyed Boston after losing three straight.
LeBron will erupt for one of his "LeBron" nights, while Wade and a healthy Bosh will help put the Heat on top.
With Bosh healthy, Ibaka will temporarily freeze and be almost useless on the offensive end.
Either Westbrook or Durant will struggle to score, and while the Heat will fail to blow them out, the Thunder just won't have the heart to take a 3-0 lead.
The support of the crowd will help drive Miami throughout the game as they hold on to win in Game 3.
Game 4: Thunder at Heat, Tuesday, June 19th, 9 PM
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While Miami is a great team, especially at home, they are far from invincible, as demonstrated in their six total losses thus far in the playoffs.
After gaining the momentum in Game 3, the Thunder will emerge with newfound confidence, after making adaptations that would help put them on top.
Ibaka will have another "on" night, while Harden will contribute off the bench. Durant and Westbrook won't shine, but combined they will be better than Wade and James
Even the crowd won't help the Heat as they will be silent from the start after the Thunder make an early run.Â
In what will be a coach's battle, look for Scott Brooks to simply out-coach his Miami counterpart.
Game 5: Thunder at Heat, Thursday, June 21st, 9 PM
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The Heat will be fuming over their home loss in the previous game, and will look to get back into the series with a home win.
The players will be rejuvenated, and will play with a new confidence that will help them build a strong lead from the start.
Dwyane Wade will have one game this series in which he is absolutely unstoppable, and this will be it, as he shows his value in Miami.
Oklahoma City will make a small run in the third quarter, but Miami will regain control in the fourth and escape with an easy win.
With the crowd backing them up, they will look unstoppable in their Game 5 win over the Thunder, pushing the series to a sixth game.
Game 6: Heat at Thunder, Sunday, June 24th, 8 PM
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After securing a road win in Game 4, the Thunder will have complete control of the series as they enter their own stadium in Game 6 with the NBA title just 48 minutes away.Â
However, after gaining the momentum, Miami will come out strong and emerge with an early lead at the hands of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
After three quarters, Miami will have a slight lead over the Thunder, who seem to be hanging on by their fingertips.Â
In the final quarter, though, Kevin Durant will turn up his game, and while LeBron won't make his infamous fourth-quarter disappearance, the Heat will have no answer for Durant's dominance.
In what will be a nail-biter, the Thunder, despite lacking the lead for the majority game, will escape with a win, marking a 4-2 series defeat of the Miami Heat.
Kevin Durant will receive the Finals MVP award for his effort, as the win marks the start of the dynasty that should see its fair share of championships over the next few years.
Meanwhile, the Heat's second consecutive Finals loss will draw the criticism necessary for them to make a change.
Erik Spoelstra will be forced to find a new job, and one member of the big three will not be on the roster at the start of next season.
And most importantly, everyone can still crack jokes at LeBron's failure to secure a ring.
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