The NBA Finals matchup is set, and fans of the game are in for a wild series. The San Antonio Spurs swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games in the Western Conference Finals, while the Miami Heat had to endure seven games before finally downing the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now, LeBron James and company get to rest up, as the aging Spurs have been icing their knees before Thursday’s colossal contest. But how do these teams match up against each other?

The Pacers gave the Heat fits with their gigantic frontcourt and stifling defense on the outside, and the Spurs match that same defensive mold. That could be the difference in this championship series.

Tim Ducan and Tiago Splitter give the Spurs two towers down low, and that has proven to slow down the Heat’s attack of the rim. The defense of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green will also be beneficial for San Antonio. James and Dwyane Wade are two of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, but with lockdown defenders on them, they struggle to explode for big nights.

And Tony Parker is destined to put up at least 20 a game in this series. The only thing Miami can do to defend him is to put James on Parker, and doing that will simply open up the rest of the Spurs scorers for easier opportunities.

But can the Spurs outplay the Heat for four games? Sure, Duncan and Parker have been there before and Gregg Popovich is still on the bench calling the shots, but Miami is still Miami. It scores at will and finds ways to win, even when it’s down late in games.

Wade and Chris Bosh will find a way out of their slumps, and the supporting cast will get theirs when the group formally known as the “Big Three” starts attracting too much attention. Guys like Chris Anderson and Ray Allen will find chances to make monumental plays, and that could be more than the Spurs can handle.

Regardless of the matchups and former results – James faced the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals, and he and his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept – this will be a series that no one wants to miss. It’s old school versus new school, South Florida versus Texas. What more could a fan of sports ask for?

In the end, I think it comes down to rebounds and turnovers. If San Antonio can force Miami to make mental mistakes and turn the ball over, it can hang around in this series. But if the Heat wins the rebounding battle, it’s over. I predict that the Heat will win its second consecutive championship in seven games.