Half the fun of watching basketball is talking about legacies. Where will players fall in the history books? Will LeBron James really become the king or will Kevin Durant steal his throne? Will the Celtics add another banner to their impressive collection? Will Tim Duncan summit his legacy as the greatest power forward ever? With both the Western and Eastern
Conference Finals in progress, these are the questions we ask ourselves.
The Western Conference Finals are at 2-1 and will be a battle of youth vs. experience with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were looking like a juggernaut with a 20-game winning streak, but the streak ended in game three 102-82 in Oklahoma City.
The youthful Thunder are led by 23-year-old Kevin Durant; the three-time scoring champion is looking to create a legacy of his own by beating the long running Spurs dynasty.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics and their aging big three look to make one last title run against the star powered Miami Heat. The Heat lost the NBA finals last year to the Dallas Mavericks, but with their 2-1 lead over Boston they’re looking to beat the Celtics and return to the finals so LeBron James has the chance to earn his first championship ring.
The Heat dominated the first two games of the series, despite a 44-point performance from the Celtic’s point guard Rajon Rondo in game two. In game three, Boston won its first home game 101-91.
Some Eastern Michigan University students seem to believe the Heat might have to wait another year before winning the championship.
EMU sophomore Kingsley Reeves, said the Spurs are the favorite.
“It’s probably going to be a Spurs vs. Heat final, but the Heat are going to lose again,” Reeves said. “Spurs just have a deeper bench and way more experience.”
EMU junior Michael Matthews also believes the Heat will make the finals, but will lose to the Thunder.
“Durant has the silkiest shot I’ve ever seen. Probably the best since Reggie Miller,” Matthews said. “Whoever wins the West will take the finals; they are just deeper teams with better benches than both Miami and Boston. They have a dynasty in the making in Oklahoma.
Durant and Westbrook together are unstoppable.”
Even female students on campus seem to be rooting against the Heat. Junior Ashley Gronvall admits she doesn’t watch much basketball but she doesn’t like LeBron.
“He just seems kind of like a jerk. He doesn’t look like he is having fun out there.” Gronvall said. “It’s just kind of hard to root for him.”
While some students seem to think it won’t be the Miami Heat’s year to win the title, everything is still up in the air. In both final series, no team has won on the road yet, and both series could very well go to seven games. Be sure to watch and see who makes it to this year’s NBA Finals.
