The Los Angeles Clippers (27-8) are starting to prove they may be the team to beat in the west, so long as they could handle the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-7) in a Western Conference Finals showdown.

By Mike Corasaniti

Look at any NBA power rankings thrown around the Internet and you’ll see some variation of the following: No. 1 Los Angeles Clippers, No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder.

While the league may still belong to the Heat, the Western Conference belongs to these two teams, and they’re not going through anyone but each other for a shot at a title.

How the Clippers get there

Los Angeles is the best team in the NBA right now (doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?).  They may not have proved everything in their amazing win streak over the past weeks, considering the schedule may have been a little closer to the cupcake side, but nobody wins that many games in a row by accident.

What the Clippers mostly proved in their recent winning ways is that they’re more than just a highlight machine for Monday mornings; they can actually play some pretty decent defense. In allowing only about 93 points per game so far this season, the Los Angeles has proved that it’s not the team San Antonio swept out of the playoffs last season.

Los Angeles has proved it can win.

How the Thunder get there

Behind one of the most potent scorers in the league, the Thunder have been riding one of the most efficient offenses in the league (second in points per game with over 105). When Oklahoma City wins, they usually win big.

They’ll sweep Portland or Denver or whoever else is thrown their way the first round, if not entirely behind Durant putting up more than 30 per game. Memphis or San Antonio will put up a huge fight in the next round, forcing the Thunder to flex their defensive muscles that can be so surprisingly tough (especially with Serge Ibaka playing the best overall basketball of his career).

Memphis and San Antonio could both put up interesting matchups in the frontcourt for the Thunder, but Oklahoma City just has too many weapons for anybody to stop a return trip to the conference finals.

The matchup

Is this a matchup between potent offense and shutdown defense? Not necessarily. But this series does provide for some awesome matchups. Chris Paul on Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin on Serge Ibaka, and even DeAndre Jordan on Kendrick Perkins, this series would be a hell of a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, that feeling of a fun series is eerily similar to the feeling from last season’s NBA Finals. So many juicy matchups, but only one side with the experience and the proven ability to win when it matters most.

Games 1 and 2 will probably be barnburners out of the sheer awesomeness of the matchup, but it would be a surprise if it takes Oklahoma City too long to wrap up it’s return to the Finals.

Thunder 4-2

By Mike Corasaniti

With tip-off for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals just minutes away, Season's Over is taking a look at the four possible NBA Finals match-ups. Both series are tied at two apiece, so it's anyone's game right? Let's take a look:

Boston Celtics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

It's hard to imagine the Heat not making their second-straight Finals appearance, but with the way the C's have been playing in Games 3 and 4 (and 2 for that matter), it's not too hard to fathom. This match-up would be cool (just think of the Kendrick Perkins homecoming stories) and an interesting one with the whole old vs. new aspect. And who doesn't want to see two of the league's best PGs in Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo go at it? This match-up could be a lot of fun. Prediction – The series depends mostly on Rondo's impact. He's been the MVP of these playoffs so far, but how long it will last has been questioned at every step of the way (and it's not stopping anytime soon). But more than likely, the Thunder prove that they have finally become the team that they have been trying to be for four years now and dominate the series en route to their first championship since the move from Seattle. Thunder 4-1


Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs

This nightmare has had to formulate in the dreams of LeBron James before, right? The man that stood in the way of his first NBA Finals run (Tim Duncan) is now once again the main reason why the Heat could go home empty-handed. At this point in time, neither the Heat nor Spurs are looking like the best they have been all season. And unless the leaders from both sides start to step up, this could quite possibly be the least possibly scenario for the championship. Prediction – So let's say the world isn't really ending and both Miami and San Antonio find their mojo to win their respective conference finals. Do we go with the League of Extraordinary Veterans who have time and time again shut teams down with their unselfish play? Or do we go with the hungry, hungry Heat who, most likely revitalized with the return of Chris Bosh. My instincts want me to say the Spurs, because they never seem to want to go away. But something deeper inside of me feels like hell is about to freeze over, LeBron is about to hit a couple clutch fourth quarter shots, and the Big 3 laugh all the way back to South Beach. Heat 4-3


Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs

After how many years, how is it possible that only just now are Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan meeting this deep in the playoffs? But as awesome as it sounds, the frontcourt won't be where this Finals match-up is decided. Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo are itching to show again and prove to the league and it's fans that they can be the best players on their team when it matters the most. And who ever comes closest to doing so will decide the fate of the series if these two teams meet. Prediction – Part of me feels bad for not going the way of the Celtics, a team that with the first real "Big 3" of the 2000s should be a team with multiple championships to their name. But the Spurs have done this just one too many times before, and whether Duncan, Parker, Manu Ginobli, or Matt Bonner emerges the hero, this match-up has San Antonio written over it all the way. Spurs 4-2

Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Am I the only one that is dying to see this? It's Durant vs. LeBron. OKC vs. South Beach. Hell it's Serge Ibaka vs. Udonis Haslem. Almost everything about this series just seems, I don't know, exciting. Because if this match-up came to be, it's the hardest one for me to predict an outcome. Teams would go back and forth with streaks; maybe Nick Collison explodes for 25 in Game 2, maybe Chris Bosh comes back from injury for a monster series tying Game 4 in Miami, who knows? The story-lines would be never-ending. The thought of turning on the TV to see either a Blue-out or White-out every not is just way too cool for me. But when it comes down to the games, which superstar (James or KD) will come away with their first ring? Prediction – It's a barnburner. If I was ever to bet my life on a series going seven games it would be this one. Durant goes crazy in Game 1, sending the media into a fenzy about the game's new King. But the Heat take the next two. And the Thunder take the next two. And after Wade wins game six on a pull-up jumper with 1.3 seconds left, it could go either way in the finale. Too close to call