San Antonio Spurs And Miami Heat Set To Faceoff In 2014 NBA Playoffs On Thursday: Predictions From Some Of Basketball's Most Revered Experts

It's on! The San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat will meet in the Finals again. It's just like boxing, when a fight is too close and there are unanswered questions, a rematch is settled.

It doesn't work that way in basketball, but after a full season and a roller-coaster, record-breaking playoffs, the two teams left standing are the Spurs and the Heat.

Some of the best basketball minds have their own two cents on the great NBA Finals. ESPN has David Thorpe and Marc Stein. Yahoo Sports has Dan Devine.

ESPN David Thorpe: Miami. In the end, I have to give the slightest of edges to the Heat. If I thought Parker would be close to 100 percent healthy all series, I might change my mind, but I don't, so I won't. Miami has a good chance to have the first-, second-, and fourth or fifth-best player of these two teams, though LeBron alone is now Duncan's equal in leadership and in overall ability to inspire his team. The Spurs have more weapons, but the Heat have better ones. Barely.

Marc Stein: I went with Spurs in seven in a nod to their improved depth compared to 2013 and the fact that they have Game 7 at home this time. But it'd be a lot easier to make a declarative pick if we knew in advance what Parker's ankle looks like. It's not exactly going out on a limb to say San Antonio's fortunes are tied to Parker's health in a big way. (Stein is uncertain)

Dan Devine of Yahoo: The Spurs won't stop the Heat, but they will slow them down. Can Miami muster the chaos necessary to do likewise often enough to win four times in seven games - this time without the benefit of home-court advantage - against a team that is a quantum leap up in level of competition from the Pacers? For the first time in four years, I think I'm going to need to see it to believe it.

Prediction: Spurs in 7.

SI.com's 6 writers had 4-2 in favor of the Spurs. All predictions had a long series-no sweeps. Some predictions were also conditional.

How about you? Who do you think will win? Will the Spurs get their revenge, their fifth title and the best farewell to Tim Duncan? Will LeBron James and Miami establish themselves as the team of the decade?

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San Antonio Spurs And Miami Heat
2014 NBA Finals Predictions
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