Miami Heat 108-103 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Part 2
Continued from http://www.senore.com/Miami-Heat-108-103-vs-Oklahoma-City-Thunder-Part-1-a54580
The tone was set in the first play of the game, when Dwyane Wade used a low screen to slip past the Thunder defence and twisted for a reverse layup play. Bosh followed with a reverse hook shot as Miami hit the ground firing on all cylinders. Bosh scored three more within a short span, but Durant and the Oklahoma offense was also starting to come to life from the other end.
Durant started the scoring for the home team with a putback layup shot and Thunder quickly bounced back at 11 apiece with a James Harden three point shot within the first four minutes.
They did not stop there. The Oklahoma outfit rang up a 15-5 break away run within a span of the next three minutes as they sprinted to a 10-point lead at 26-16, their biggest of the match.
Mike Miller and Dwyane Wade, however, immediately sprung to rescue Miami. The duo combined for the next twelve Miami points and Wade’s layup with 2:40 to go pulled the Heat within one. Durant, however, ensured that Oklahoma City had their noses in front, slamming seven straight points for his team to take them into the second quarter with a 38-35 lead. Durant finished with 14 points in the first quarter, while Miami’s Wade had 13.
The Thunders continued the second quarter from where they left the first, reeling off a 9-3 spurt to again stamp their authority over the game. Chris Bosh, however, who returned for this clash after a four game injury layoff, led the Miami resurgence at that point. The dazzling forward netted seven of Miami’s first 9 points in the frame to keep them within striking distance.
Soon Wade and James followed and LeBron’s layup shot with 2:16 left till the break gave Miami the lead.
The scoreline now read 64-61 in favour of the visitors. Westbrook, however, singlehandedly mustered a comeback for the Thunder. He started the third quarter with 4 straight points and after James sparked Miami to a 71-65 lead in the ensuing minutes, the second year pro contributed six in a 12-2 run as Oklahoma City again wrested the lead.
The game headed into a deadlock after that and was tied three times in the next few minutes of the frame, which finally finished at 85 each.
Jeff Green knocked a three-pointer from long range to start the fourth, but Miami quickly responded with a seven point unanswered run to race ahead again. One and a half minutes later, another 6-0 run followed and Miami appeared as clear favourites at that stage.
The Heat, though, chose the wrong time to go cold as they coughed up an eight-point lead and fell back 103-102, with 34.3 seconds to go – courtesy a 13-4 run by the Thunder.
But then arrived the crucial juncture of the play, which made all the difference. The Thunder let the ball slip away one too many times down the business end of the match as the Heat pulled off a marathon 108-103 win in Thunder’s backyard.
Durant was shattered after the game. He refused to just be satisfied with the positives out of the game.
"We don't take moral victories here. We wanted to win that game," Durant said. "We had the game won and we just didn't. Moral victories have been out the door for two years now."
He also conceded that it was not only the Big Three, but a collective team effort, that made the difference on the night.
"I don't look at it as the 'big three.' They may look at it like that over there, but over here we're a whole group," he said.
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