2011-12 NBA Playoffs: Finals

The NBA Finals are now officially set as the Miami Heat shocked the world by making quick work of the defending champion Celtics in five games.

Coming out of the Western Conference are the Dallas Mavericks, a team full of thirty-something's looking to make one last run at the title. The Mavs knocked off the Warriors in six games in the conference finals, after Golden State took care of the top-seeded LA Lakers for them in a huge second round upset.

Here are the depth charts for both teams heading into the Finals:

MIAMI HEAT
PG- Mario Chalmers - Carlos Arroyo - Eddie House
SG- Dwyane Wade - Mike Miller
SF- LeBron James - Tayshaun Prince
PF- Chris Bosh - Udonis Haslem
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskus - Joel Anthony

DALLAS MAVERICKS
PG- Jason Kidd - JJ Barea
SG- Stephen Jackson - Dominique Jones
SF- Caron Butler - Shawn Marion
PF- Dirk Nowitzki - Charlie Villanueva
C - David Lee

2011-2012 Western Conference Preview

WESTERN CONFERENCE
PRE-SEASON TOP 10

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
PG- Chris Paul
SG- Kobe Bryant
SF- Ron Artest
PF- Lamar Odom
C- Pau Gasol
6th- Matt Barnes

2. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
PG- Russell Westbrook
SG- James Harden
SF- Kevin Durant
PF- Serge Ibaka
C- Kendrick Perkins
6th- Nate Robinson

3. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
PG- Tony Parker
SG- Manu Ginobli
SF- Richard Jefferson
PF- Tim Duncan
C- Dejuan Blair
6th- George Hill

4. DALLAS MAVERICKS
PG- Jason Kidd
SG- Stephen Jackson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Dirk Nowitzki
C- David Lee
6th- Shawn Marion

5. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
PG- Armon Johnson
SG- Brandon Roy
SF- Gerald Wallace
PF- LaMarcus Aldridge
C- Greg Oden
6th- Nicolas Batum

6. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
PG- John Wall
SG- Eric Gordon
SF- Terrence Jones
PF- Blake Griffin
C- Chris Kaman
6th- Andray Blatche

7. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
PG- Stephen Curry
SG- Monta Ellis
SF- Dorell Wright
PF- Carl Landry
C- Tyson Chandler
6th- Aaron Brooks

8. HOUSTON ROCKETS
PG- Kyle Lowry
SG- Kevin Martin
SF- Terrence Williams
PF- Luis Scola
C- Yao Ming
6th- Patrick Patterson

9. SACRAMENTO KINGS
PG- Tyreke Evans
SG- Marcus Thornton
SF- Al-Farouq Aminu
PF- Jason Thompson
C- DeMarcus Cousins
6th- Kemba Walker

10. DENVER NUGGETS
PG- Raymond Felton
SG- Arron Afflalo
SF- Wilson Chandler
PF-Al Harrington
C- Nene'
6th- Ty Lawson

2011-2012 Eastern Conference Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE
PRE-SEASON TOP 10


1. BOSTON CELTICS
PG- Rajon Rondo
SG- Ray Allen
SF- Paul Pierce
PF- Kevin Garnett
C- Dwight Howard
6th- Jermaine O'Neal

2. MIAMI HEAT
PG- Mario Chalmers
SG- Dwyane Wade
SF- LeBron James
PF- Chris Bosh
C- Zydrunas Ilgauskus
6th- Tayshaun Prince

3. CHICAGO BULLS
PG- Derrick Rose
SG- Ronnie Brewer
SF- Luol Deng
PF- Enes Kanter
C- Joakim Noah
6th- Taj Gibson

4. NEW YORK KNICKS
PG- Chauncey Billups
SG- Landry Fields
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF- Amare Stoudemire
C- Ronny Turiaf
6th- Corey Brewer

5. NEW JERSEY NETS
PG- Deron Williams
SG- Vince Carter
SF- Perry Jones
PF- Zach Randolph
C- Brook Lopez
6th- Andre Miller

6. ATLANTA HAWKS
PG- Kirk Hinrich
SG- Joe Johnson
SF- Shane Battier
PF- Josh Smith
C- Al Horford
6th- Jamal Crawford

7. INDIANA PACERS
PG- Deron Collison
SG- Paul George
SF- Danny Granger
PF- Tyler Hansbrough
C- Roy Hibbert
6th- T.J. Ford

8. PHILADELPHIA 76ers
PG- Jrue Holiday
SG- Andre Iguodala
SF- Travis Outlaw
PF- Elton Brand
C- Spencer Hawes
6th- Evan Turner

9. ORLANDO MAGIC
PG- Jameer Nelson
SG- Gilbert Arenas
SF- Hedo Turkoglu
PF- Jeff Green
C- Brandon Bass
6th- Glen Davis

10. DETROIT PISTONS
PG- Rodney Stuckey
SG- Ben Gordon
SF- Jordan Hamilton
PF- Charlie Villanueva
C- Greg Monroe
6th- Tracy McGrady

2011 NBA Draft

Nets #1 pick Perry Jones

1. Nets: Perry Jones - SF - Baylor - Fr.
   
2. Bulls (via Bucks): Enes Kanter - C/F - Kentucky - Fr.
   
3. Raptors: Kyrie Irving - PG - Duke - Fr.
   
4. Bobcats: Harrison Barnes - G/F - North Carolina - Fr.
5. Clippers (via Kings): Terrence Jones - SF - Kentucky - Fr.
   
6. Cavaliers: Alec Burks - SG - Colorado - So.
7. Jazz - Brandon Knight - PG - Kentucky - Fr.
   
8. Wizards - Jonas Valanciunas - C - Lithuania - 19 yrs.
   
9. Hornets (via T'Wolves): Jimmer Fredette - PG - BYU - Sr.
10. Pistons: Jordan Hamilton - SF - Texas - So.
    
11. Thunder: Kawhi Leonard - SF - San Diego St. - So.
    
12. Suns: Derrick Williams - PF - Arizona - So.
    
13. Warriors: Jared Sullinger - PF - Ohio St. - Fr.
    
14. Kings(via Clippers): Kemba Walker - PG - UConn - Jr.
15. Pacers: C.J. Leslie - PF - North Carolina State - Fr.
    
16. Nuggets: John Henson - PF - North Carolina - So.
    
17. Hornets: Donatas Motiejunas - PF - Lithuania - 20 yrs.
    
18. 76ers: Jan Vesely - SF/PF - Czech Republic - 20 yrs.
    
19. Grizzlies: Elias Harris - PF - Gonzaga - Jr.
    
20. Magic: Tyler Honeycutt - G/F - UCLA - So.
    
21. Blazers: Josh Selby - PG - Kansas - Fr.
22. Rockets: Will Barton - G/F - Memphis - Fr.
    
23. Knicks: Tobias Harris - PF - Tennessee - Fr.
    
24. Lakers: Norris Cole - PG - Cleveland State - Sr.
    
25. Bulls: Kyle Singler - SF - Duke - Sr.
26. Mavericks: Travis Lesie - Georgia - Jr.
    
27. Spurs: Kris Joseph - Syracuse - Jr.
    
28. Hawks: Chris Singleton - SF - FSU - Jr.
    
29. Heat: Aaric Murray - C - La Salle - Jr.
    
30. Celtics: Trey Thompkins - Georgia - Jr.
    

TRADES:
-Bucks trade #2 pick, Drew Gooden to Bulls for Carlos Boozer
-Kings trade #5 pick to Clippers for Al-Farouq Aminu, #14 pick
-T'Wolves trade #9 pick to Hornets for Emeka Okafor

Celtics Win 2011 NBA Title

Rajon Rondo won his second title and his first Finals MVP for the Celtics at the ripe old age of 24 as Boston took down arch rival LA Lakers in six games. The Celtics had to go through the resurgent Knicks (2nd round, 4-2 series) and Miami's new big three (East Finals, 4-3) to get to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers defeated the Spurs in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.