As the NBA Finals rolls around the corner, the playoffs have unfolded in ways both predictable and unpredictable. An injury to Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook effectively ended the Thunder’s chances at representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. In their place, the San Antonio Spurs will represent the West for the 5th time since 1997. The Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, will represent the Eastern Conference for the third year in a row.

Many cynics will claim that this Finals will be boring. Everyone was hoping for a Heat-Thunder rematch that would pit LeBron James against Kevin Durant once again in similar fashion to the epic Lakers-Celtics battles of the 1980s that matched Magic Johnson against Larry Bird. However, a Heat-Spurs Finals has many great storylines. Will Tim Duncan win his fifth championship and cement his status as the best player of his generation? Will LeBron James win his second championship and separate himself from the rest of the NBA as an otherworldly talent? Will the old Spurs keep up with the younger run-and-gun Heat? Will Gregg Popovich outwit Erik Spoelstra?

The Heat got to this point with effective three-point shooting, a top-notch pick-and-roll offense that allows LeBron the chance to drive to the basket or pass, and the best defense in the NBA. The Spurs got to this point with superb coaching and perfect team basketball characterized by plenty of ball movement and off-ball screens.

In a sense, both teams  had a helping hand due to injuries that detrimentally affected their contenders. For example, the Chicago Bulls were without Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, the Los Angeles Lakers had injuries to practically all of their stars, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (as already mentioned) lost Russell Westbrook in the first round of the playoffs.

The answers to these questions will probably determine the winner of this series. The Heat has only lost three games in the last four months, while the Spurs have already swept two teams (the Lakers and Grizzlies) on their road to the NBA Finals. In a close-fought series that will test the grit of both teams, the Heat will prevail in six games, led by regular season and Finals MVP LeBron James.