Miami Heat 108-103 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Part 1
There are some moments of brilliance that can make or break a game. On Sunday night, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat’s Coach Erik Spoelstra, LeBron James and Eddie House orchestrated one such moment.
With 34.3 seconds left in the game and the Heat trailing by one, Spoelstra called a time-out and made a savvy switch to bring in Eddie House in place of Joel Anthony. Sometimes things are just supposed to work out, and they often
do for the Miami Heat.
Miami’s think-tank wanted Dwyane Wade to take the crucial go-ahead shot. The 6 ft. 3 in. Guard, however, faltered in his attempt as the shored up Oklahoma defensive screen was a tad too experienced to miss the predictable play.
It was at this point that pure instinct and trust took over.
After scrambling in the lane for the offensive rebound, Mike Miller, who is fast emerging as a defensive prodigy for the Heat, found LeBron James on the right wing, wide open for three.
But James didn’t shoot.
Instead, the two-time reigning MVP, who averages 33.1 percent from the long range, let the ball fly to Eddie House, a career 39.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc. House then made his only shot of the night as he buried a three
right into the hearts of the Thunder, to hand Miami the lead which they never relinquished. “Besides some turnovers, we executed down the stretch and it is that trust that we had in each other that helped us win this game,” said James after the game had concluded.
With players in and out of the starting line-up for the past few weeks, the Miami Heat haven’t been at their quintessential offensive best in the past few weeks.
On Sunday night against the Oklahoma City Thunders, though, the men from the South Beach finally found their offensive groove.
The match that was tipped as the clash of the titans, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh taking on the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, lived up to its reputation as a capacity crowd at the Oklahoma City
Arena witnessed one of the most enthralling encounters of the season.
Dwyane Wade led the torch for Miami with 32 points and 9 rebounds. The shooting guard, however, accounted for 9 of the total 20 Miami turnovers. LeBron James had another excellent outing with 23 points and 13 assists. He not only
did an excellent offensive job, but also restricted Durant into a 7-of-20 shooting night on the defensive end as well.
"The Thunder rolls behind KD and Westbrook so I knew I needed to focus more on the defensive end and getting my guys some good looks and they came through," he said post-match.
Chris Bosh, the third cog of the Big Three, wasn’t far behind, slipping in 20 points and 7 rebounds as the trio combined for 75 of the Heat points. However, it was not individual brilliance, rather the well-knit offensive strategy
that finally made the difference in the end. Eight out of Miami’s 9 players who took the floor scored at least 5 points as Miami squeaked out a 108-103 win.
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant led the charge with 33 points and 10 rebounds. His catch-and-shoot jumper at the top of the key with 34 seconds to go, very nearly handed the match to the home team. But Oklahoma City failed to keep
their nerves when it mattered the most, as they conceded a crucial three-pointer off a second-chance opportunity and an offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the dying seconds.
Jeff Green scored 23 points and 11 boards while Russell Westbrook nearly missed a triple-double with 21 points, 10 dimes and seven boards.
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