When the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder take the court tonight in Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals the basketball world will be paying special attention to one player: 27-year-old LeBron Raymone James.

No one has ever measured the true tonnage of “the weight of the world,” but with a Heat victory this evening, The King’s ample shoulders will be that much lighter.

After all, in his ninth pro season, in his third trip to the finals, on his second team, with his legions of critics and detractors ready to pounce at his slightest, magnified misstep, 3X MVP LBJ might finally grab the championship ring that has eluded him up until now and silence the haters, at least temporarily.

However, the young, supremely-talented Thunder could extend this best-of-seven and get back to the friendly confines of their home court in the Sooner State, down 3-2.

After winning the opening game in OKC, the Thunder lost the last three games by 4, 6 and 6 points respectively. And they’ve been in each contest up until the final moments. A different decision here, a made shot there, a tiny adjustment in a play and OKC could easily be leading this series.

In Game 4 on Tuesday night, Thunder PG Russell Westbrook scored 43 points on 20 of 32 from the field in possibly his best game as a professional. Smothered by the Heat’s tenacious D, 3X NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant put up 28 in 46 minutes. But it wasn’t enough as Miami got 26 from James and 25 apiece from D-Wade and Mario Chalmers.

The Heat shot 10-26 from behind the 3, while OKC went 3-16 from deep. Both teams took care of the rock, as the Thunder had 11 turnovers and Miami just 9. James had to leave the game in the last couple of minutes with leg cramps and dehydration. His teammates carried him to the bench and then made some monster plays down the stretch to seal the W.

Since the NBA went to a 2-3-2 finals format in 1985, no team has ever come back to win the title after being down 3-1. But as many roundball pundits and commentators have pointed out, this Thunder roster has already broken the mold when it comes to championship-caliber formulations. Their four top players, Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka, are ages 23, 23, 22 and 22. So while they lack much of the seasoning and experience of past champs, they make up for it in talent, tenacity and on-court bravado.

Look for a classic 48 minutes tonight in South Beach as the Heat try to finish off the Thunder and claim the 2012 crown for King James.

The 2012 NBA Finals will showcase two of the most athletic, exciting and talented teams in the league: the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.

Both squads possess superstars and scoring champions who are capable of outstanding ball movement and lethal transition games.

Though this would normally be a recipe for a high-scoring, up-and-down affair, it may not be the case in this series because both rosters boast tenacious defenders who have the ability to shut down their opponents at the defensive end of the floor. Every possession will be crucial, and turnovers will be costly.

There are a lot of similarities between the Heat and the Thunder. Both sides have at least two players who are capable of exploding and going off for 40 points in a game if they get hot.

Both teams also feature Big Threes: Miami has 2012 NBA MVP James, 8X All-Star Dwyane Wade and 7X All-Star Chris Bosh, while OKC has 3X NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant, 2X All-Star Russell Westbrook and 2012 Sixth MOTY James Harden. Amazingly, the members of the Thunder’s triumvirate are all 23 years old or younger.

There is tremendous depth on each bench. Coach Scott Brooks, who is making his first trip to the finals in just his third full season as head coach, will probably go deeper into his reserves than Miami, considering coach Spoelstra went predominantly with six players against Boston in Game 7 of the ECF when the season was on the line.

Oklahoma City is capable of playing very big or playing small and fast. However, Miami has not really played big all season, though they have the option to go with Chris Bosh at the 4 along with one of their seldom-used centers such as the shot-blocking Joel Anthony at the 5 and LeBron at the 3.

We may see more small ball in this series than we have seen in previous championships as the key players on both teams are perimeter-oriented with amazing quickness, which often makes lumbering, big men ineffectual.

The number one concern when going up against the Heat is transition defense. The Thunder have to get back and be compact so that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade don’t score easy baskets in transition.

As for defending the Thunder, Miami will also have to limit their transition game because they run so hard and so fast. And they must shut down the league’s most prolific scorer Kevin Durant. Spoelstra has to decide how to match up against him, whether with consistent double teams or staggered weak-side help.

The format changes to 2-3-2 in the finals, so capturing the first two home games will be critical for the Thunder because they don’t want to give the Heat a split with a chance to win three straight at home. The Heat and Thunder played twice in the abbreviated regular season, each winning on its home court.

OKC has one of the best crowds in the NBA, if not the best. And Miami’s fans were perhaps the most vocal they’ve been all year in Game 7 versus the Boston Celtics. It will be paramount for both squads to try to take away the opposing crowd’s energy and impact by limiting scoring runs and establishing road leads.

The global hoops audience will be watching the 2012 NBA Finals to see whether LeBron will clinch the title in his third finals appearance, or If the young Thunder are on the verge of a dynasty.