Advantage Oklahoma City Thunder going into the game 2 of NBA Finals – NBA Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Miami Heat for game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight. The Thunder had a good Game 1, and will be confident heading into Thursday night.
Kevin Durant was at his usual best, scoring 36 points in the game out of which 17 came in the final period alone. Russell Westbrook got off to a slow start but had 27 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds and a good overall game while
Thabo Sefolosha was big in his defensive assignment on both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. James Harden was the only weak link in the Thunder’s roster in game 1, where he had only 5 points while going 2 of 6 from the field.
For Miami, Wade failed to make an impact on the game and finished with 19 points while going 7 of 19 from the field. James had 30 points for the night but scored only 7 in the final period.
At the moment, the situation is very simple for the Miami Heat. They need to do what they did in the first half of game 1 for a full 48 minutes. They were in complete control in the first half but lost their way after that. Also,
Miami have a tough assignment in guarding Kevin Durant. However, he needs to be contained to whatever level is possible, and his fourth quarter takeovers need to be stopped.
LeBron had a great night for the first three quarters of Game 1 but disappeared in the final period. He needs to step up and close games for Miami much like Durant does for the Thunder.
Wade has had an inconsistent playoff run, producing an outstanding game on one day and going mediocre the next. His performance in Game 1 was below average and he needs to grind out a better performance if the Heat want to win
the championship.
Miami also need to figure out the best fit for Chris Bosh and make him find his rhythm like he did in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. Bosh had 10 points for the night which meant Wade and Bosh
combined for 29 points. With a lack of depth in the Heat squad already evident, their key players need to perform on a consistent basis to keep them alive in the series.
Erik Spoelstra talked about giving some rest to his star players during the game after the first loss. For a team that does not have much depth in its roster, Spoelstra has to be very careful and methodical about the way he uses
his bench.
Both teams are similar in playing style and for the first time in the playoffs, Miami are facing a team that can run as much as they can and as fast as they can.
It all comes down to defence, like the Thunder showed in the final quarter of game 1. Although Miami are considered a better defending team, the Thunder outscored them 43-35 in rebounds, giving them more 2nd shot opportunities.
The Thunder also had 27 free throw attempts compared to only 18 for Miami, showing that they were more aggressive in going to the basket.
On any given day, if the Thunder manages to score 51.9% from the field and Durant is allowed to score 17 points in the final period, the Thunder are going to win.
The Heat need to step up their defence and get some value from players, other than LeBron.
Tags: