Stellar. Still got 90 minutes to go. Thanks to anyone that stayed with me for this long.
How do we stop Durant? We beat him up. We play him physical. We put every ounce of his 135 pound body to the test with our old man strength. We send Pierce to body him up and (either Boozer to provide physical defense or John Henson to patrol the weakside where he's an above grade shot blocker with a similar build and more hops than Durant (for real)). If he gets to the middle, he's got to deal with a 255 pound Brazilian with one testicle who plays mean. I'll take my chances with him finding Robin Lopez or Brand to finish around him - and quickly enough for a young, springy guy like Henson not to erase it.
The biggest problem with Rondo's very well constructed team is that they lack a physical presence up front. They don't have the bodies to protect or defend Durant when he takes a hard foul or gets bodied up inside the arc. Who leads that team if Durant gets rattled? Williams is a great player, but he's flaky. Brand is their best leader, but he's old. Allen is a shooting specialist at this point.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have a number of cool handed vets who have been there before. Pierce and Wade may be on the downside of their careers, but they're effective players and Finals MVPs. Nene and Boozer are both (or have been) complementary players on playoff teams. Same with Jameer Nelson. Lin is a microwave scoring X-factor who can swing a playoff game on his own (seriously!). The rest of the bench is filled with young, athletic playmakers who may not have great stats, but who take on valuable roles and fit seamlessly with the rest of this team's lineup. The whole is greater than the parts - and these are some pretty OK parts.
So, I think the Hawks take this one, and it's tough. Anyway, thanks again for bearing with me. I totally understand if my inaction (or coach choice) swings your vote. But, if we're going by talent/fit alone, I like my chances. Cheers.
p.s. I really like that Taylor kid, but he's a three-and-D guy at SF who could be overwhelmed by starting at SG. But, seriously, look at his performance in this week's Eurobasket. I say the Hawks limit him to 35 points and six steals per game.