The NBA regular season is coming to an end and with that comes the start of the play-offs and end-of-season awards. This year won’t disappoint, as there are as many as six teams in the hunt, with each team having a pretty good chance to go on a run and win the championship. The title has rested in South Beach with the Big 3 for the past two years, but it just may be heading to a different city once this year.

Everyone came into the season expecting the Miami Heat to dominate yet again, but the Big 3 of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh have somewhat fallen off. Maybe it’s boredom, maybe it’s fatigue, but whatever it is must be corrected come play-off time if the Heat want to even make it back to the Finals, let alone win.

The rugged Indiana Pacers have made it their mission to secure first place in the East and guarantee themselves home-court advantage in case they play the Heat in the Conference Finals. The Pacers have always given the Heat trouble, coming as close as Game 7 last year.  The home-court advantage might be just what they need to finally knock off the world champions.

The Heat’s problems, though, can all be fixed with a healthy Dwayne Wade, who has missed 19 games this season due to knee issues. Without him, the team just cannot run their fluid offense while gritting their teeth and stopping opponents on the defensive end. Lebron is great, but he is just one man and, without a healthy Wade, Miami does not stand a chance against an ever-confident Indiana Pacers team.

Now, a couple of teams on the other side of the Association could defeat Miami in a 7-game series. The three most-formidable, though, are the San Antonio Spurs, which is the best team in the league right now, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs are playing the best team basketball in the league and boast a league best 54-16 record. They play excellent defense, and their ball movement is a beauty to watch. With Tim Duncan still drinking from the fountain of youth, the Spurs look primed for a return to the NBA Finals.

The Clippers are streaking upward and, with both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul playing at an MVP level, the Clippers have slowly become a legitimate threat. They match up well with any team in the West and could knock off any and every challenger en route to the Finals.

Finally, The Thunder have the best scorer in the game right now in Kevin Durant, and with him anything is possible. Durant is playing out of his mind right now and, as long as he is healthy, the Thunder can beat anyone on any night. The one big issue is Russell Westbrook’s ongoing knee problem as he is a matchup nightmare the KD wants to relieve some of the pressure.  With Westbrook healthy, the Thunder look like the favorites to win the conference but without him I don’t see them going past the second round.

The race for the MVP this year has been extremely competitive, and it looks as if The King will finally be dethroned. After winning the award for the past two years and four of the last five, Lebron made it clear to the world that he is the best player breathing. Kevin Durant has been trailing him in votes for the past couple of years, but this year KD has taken matters into his own hands by outplaying Lebron in more ways than one. KD has improved his field-goal percentage, points per game and rebounds and assists. He has become a complete basketball player who can do it all as well as score at an outrageous clip. He is averaging a career high and NBA best 32.2 ppg this season, and his consistent scoring displays have left fans shocked and dazed Because of his increased level of play, the MVP award is his for the taking. He has shown that he deserves it, and the league needs someone else winning the award for a change. Sorry Lebron, maybe next year.