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.