Heat Win Pivotal Game 3

In another game that came down to the wire, poor free throw shooting and turnovers cost the Oklahoma City Thunder a chance to take a 2-1 lead on the road losing 85-91. LeBron James led the charge again with 29 points and 14 rebounds despite shooting 11-23. Dwyane Wade also had another good game pitching in with 25 points and seven rebounds. The Thunder started out the game strong but contrary to the previous two games, the had trouble late in the fourth quarter. They only managed six points in the last three minutes of the game. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 25 points and Russell Westbrook had 19. Here is a breakdown of each teams performance.
Miami Heat
The Heat stuck with the game 2 game plan which was to get the ball into the paint. Their first five made shots  were all layups or dunks. They shot 50% in the first quarter. This tactic was very effective getting the Thunder in foul trouble and scoring points. Over 80% of Miami points were scored either in the paint or at the free throw line. The second half was a little bit different story. Miami only shot 33% from the field as OKC made the proper adjustments to shut down the easy points in paint but also got to the line. The Heat seemed to initially struggle to this response as the Thunder started out the third quarter on a 10-4 run. But one of the deciding factors was the defense applied to Durant in the fourth quarter as he only scored four points. Miami deserves a lot of credit for making the right changes, forcing the ball out of his hands. Also the Heat shot 90% from the foul line in the fourth quarter helping to seal the victory. Until Oklahoma City finds a way to stop this new Heat offense then I have no reason to believe that they cannot win the title. Compared to game 1 they look more aggressive and confident which have proven to being important factors. By bringing the ball in the paint you are either going to score, not score, or get fouled. The Heat have excelled in scoring as well as at the free throw line. Also Dwyane Wade giving Lebron support from a scoring stand point has been very helpful making the defensive match ups even harder. This was by far not Miami's best performance but made just enough plays down the stretch the grab the series lead.
Oklahoma City Thunder
This young Thunder team has to be very disappointed in themselves after letting game 3 slip away and here are some key points. 1. Miami only shot 37% for the game. 2. Miami had nine turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. 3. Thunder had a 10 point lead in the third quarter. OKC shot themselves in the foot in the second half. The Thunder were the best free throw shooting team in the NBA during the regular season so they have absolutely zero excuse to shoot below 65% on the biggest stage, the NBA finals. That is going to have to change or else OKC is in big trouble. Kevin Durant for the second game in a row got in foul trouble. This was crucial in the third quarter as he only played half of it and while he was on the bench the Heat went on a 16-7 run. The rest of the Thunder team played well including Westbrook who had 19. My next issue is that James Harden did not have a good game. Kendrick Perkins was the third leading scorer, if this team wants to beat the Heat, Harden has got to step up. He only had 9 points for the game OKC will not win if Perkins is the third leading scorer. Another important stat to look at and partial blame should go to Scott Brooks is getting away from Durant. In the fourth he only attempted six shots. In order for the Thunder to win game 4 they will have to play better in late (like game1 and 2), make free throws, and James Harden has to be a factor. Give credit to Scott Brooks for a great game 3 start and staying big most of the game to keep Miami out of the paint. The Thunder are not broken they just small fixings.

Lebron James and the Miami Heat outlast Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City came storming back from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter as they looked to steal another game from the Heat, but Lebron James would not let that happen. James scored six big points in the final minutes to secure a 100-96 win. It was clear from the opening tip that Miami was going to put up a fight, jumping out to an early 18-2 lead on the road, thanks to great defense and aggressive offensive play. Dwyane Wade returned to his old self scoring 24 points on 10-20 shooting. The Thunder cam out very sloppy and put it together in the fourth quarter but by then it was too little too late. Here is a quick analysis of both teams in game 2.
Miami Heat
It was evident early that the Miami Heat had a new strategy entering game 2. They were not afraid of taking it to the basket which proved to be the difference maker. Getting points in the paint and swinging the ball around led to 45% shooting in the first quarter. No matter what defensive adjustments were made by OKC they seemed to still put up points. Being aggressive not only led to shots but to free throws and putting the Thunder in foul trouble. The Heat shot 25 free throws in total which really set the tone for the game.On defense they looked great as well only allowing Kevin Durant to score six points in the first half. Oklahoma City shot 34% in the first half and allowing 0 fast break points. A key factor that and big difference from Game 1 is that Lebron James got help from his supporting cast. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Dwyane Wade had 24 which took pressure off LeBron and put more pressure on the Thunder defense opening up shooting opportunities. Battier was also monumental scoring 17 points on 6-8 shooting. He also had a huge bank shot three as the shot clock was winding down late in the fourth quarter. It was finally good to see Miami and a big moral boost close out a game because it seemed as though they would let this one slip away. Lebron James was great scoring 6 points and had the dagger with 2 free throws that put the game out of reach with less than a minute left. James was 12-12 on free throws. With this victory the Heat have taken away home court advantage from the Thunder and look poised to take the series lead back in South Beach.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The new bad habit for the Thunder cost them this game. Just as in game 1 they came out in the first quarter looking flat, unorganized, and completely lost. There is plenty of blame to go around including coach Scott Brooks but my main issue in game 2 was Russell Westbrook. He was 1-7 in first quarter and as a point guard played selfish. As a point guard your main priority is to find the open man, and if you are having an off night you especially need to pass the ball. He finished 10-26 and 27 points. The Thunder got in foul trouble early which is another reason they could not get going offensively. They were lucky to only be down 12 but that was in large part due to James Harden and Serge Ibaka who played great in the second quarter. Harden had 17 at half but only finished with 24. The fourth quarter was great especially from Durant who scored 16 points and led the charge. He made seven shots in a row which really turned the tide in favor of OKC. But defensively missed assignments and offensive rebounds were hard to recover from.Missed free throws was also a rare mistake from the Thunder as they shot 73% on free throws. Depsite all this Kevin Durant had a chance to tie the game with 9 seconds left but missed a 10 foot floater from the baseline. It was maybe a foul, questionable no call but it was just too little too late. In order to win game 3 the Thunder MUST come out ready to play. Thought hey play good from behind the Heat proved they can withstand the comeback. I also think Westbrook has to differ to Durant more and get him more shots. The Thunder bench has to play better as they did in game 1 with Scott Brooks making better changes. Apart from the big 3 the Thunder only had 16 points that has got to change. Game 3 will be huge for both teams in order to gain momentum. This has been a back and forth series but both teams know how to slow each other down. It will come down to who will apply it. Bench play and defense are two factors to watch for Sunday night.

Kevin Durant leads Thunder past Miami in game one of NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder came back from a 13 point deficit in the first half to defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat 105-94. It is not the way the Heat wanted to start their finals campaign after failing to win it all last year. Early on it seemed as thought the Heat had the advantage as Shane Battier led the charge hitting three 3 pointers in the first quarter. Miami was very hot in the first half from the field shooting 52% from the field and 60% from three. However the second half charge was a complete team effort from the Thunder. Durant and Westbrook alone outscored the entire Heat team in second half 41-40. The fourth quarter was the Kevin Durant show as he scored 17 to secure the Thunder victory. Here is a short analysis of both teams.
MIAMI HEAT
Miami got out to a quick start looking very sharp on both ends of the ball. They forced 4 turnovers and led by as many as 11 in the first quarter.. In the first half they shot over 50% from the floor and only had four turnovers. Lebron James led in points at the half with 14 and he would finish with 30. In the second half however, things began to fall apart. Most of it on defense.Coach Eric Spoelstra should have put LeBron on Kevin Durant because Durant went savage. LeBron is a very good defender who is very physical and very long. It was a big mistake on the part of the Heat. Also in the second half Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers stopped scoring which put even more pressure on the big three. Besides LeBron the others (d-wade and Chris Bosh) did not play very well. They were not aggressive and shot poorly from the field.The Heat lacked intensity and did not seem to want it as much as the Thunder. Now the fourth quarter as we all know is not Lebrons best so it is important that Dwyane Wade take over and he did not. He only had seven points and Chris Bosh only had two. In order to win game two the Heat have to regain the intensity they had in the first quarter of game 1 and Dwyane Wade HAS to get going. He has to put up big numbers or else the Heat will not beat the Thunder. This is very unusual of him to play so poor especially on the big stage. He went a poor 7-19 from the field. The reason why they were up at half was because of bench play which is a great sign for the Heat because it will take the ENTIRE Miami team to beat OKC.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Besides getting out to a very slow start the Oklahoma City Thunder looked spectacular last night on their home floor. Kevin Durant (36-8-4) and Russell Westbrook (27-8-11) led the way. Kevin Durant was nothing short of impressive getting 17 in the fourth quarter. An aspect of this game that really impressed me was the play from others besides the big three. Thabo Sefolosha was an absolute monster guarding Dwyane Wade and LeBron James getting them out of rhythm and forcing turnovers. Derek Fisher also played well, well enough to get more minutes than James Harden. His veteran leadership was evident and he played a big role in the Thunder comeback. Nick Collison played like a beast, even though it may not appear on the stat sheet but his presence in the paint was crucial. He scored 8 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.Once the Thunder got going it was no stopping them in second half. They were +18 and only had two turnovers.  I am not sure if it was nerves but they looked jumpy and unorganized but got it going as the game went along. An overall great performance from OKC as they looked poised to take the title. An important aspect that needs to improve is James Harden. He was only 2-6 with 5 points. At this point this is not a mjor concern but something to be aware of.

The Oklahoma City Thunder steal game 5

What the Thunder were able to do in San Antonio against the Spurs in a very pivotal game 5 was just brilliant. Ever since going down 2-0, Scott Brooks and his players have made an incredible turn around. This is a new team led by none other then Kevin Durant and he came up big last night scoring 27 points. He did get off to a slow start having only five points at half but he came to play in the second half driving hard to lane, creating shots, and hitting shots off the screen. San Antonio had a hard time stopping him and Harden, which prevented them from capping off their comeback.
The big three for the Spurs each had a great game themselves combining for 72 points and at times Manu Ginobli looked unstoppable. He scored 13 points in a row including 3-4 on three pointers. But their Achilles heal was not getting much from the bench and struggling to make defensive stops. The Spurs bench only scored 22 points and Stephen Jackson had 13. Lack of productivity off the bench has been a concern for the past three games but the Thunder also deserve credit for preventing this. They are rotating defensively at a very high level. There are times where they do give up the open shot but the way they move around the court has greatly improved. Tim Duncan who played very well finished with18 and12 while Tony Parker finished with 20 points.
Shooting wise the Thunder have been fabulous. Shooting 56% in game four and 50% in game five. The Spurs which were so successful in getting the Thunder out of their rhythm have now lost that edge, the little dose of ''nasty'' that Spurs coach Popovich wanted in game two seems to have disappeared.
The fourth quarter was one for the ages as both the Thunder and the Spurs battled desperately trying take a 3-2 series lead. The Thunder had the edge going into the fourth quarter as they ended the quarter on a 9-0 run.Then with 5:07 left, Oklahoma City was up by 13 but then the Spurs came roaring back getting within two with just over one minute left. Russel Westbrook was a major reason for this run as he turned the ball over three times and bringing the total to 16 turnovers.The last minute however was the Harden show as he put the dagger in the Spurs on a three point rainbow over Kawhi Leanord. He had 12 in the fourth quarter and finished with 20. Westbrook had 23 points. The Oklahoma City big three played very well doing what they do best. Scoring and creating havoc for opposing defenses.
Overall the Thunder have been great these past three games. It is amazing how they have found flaws in a Spurs team that had previously won 20 games in a row. People even began about talking about them going undefeated in the playoffs so major props to Scott Brooks and his team for making the adjustments.Game 6 is now a must win. This will be their best chance to close out this series at home where they have been spectacular this year. The defense needs to stay aggressive preventing the Spurs from getting into their rhythm and the offense needs to move the ball around and continue to be aggressive.Other players need to step up as well such as Ibaka, Fisher, and Sefolosha. It is clear that this team has matured and have confidence which is why I think the Thunder will reach their first final winning in a close game 95-90.