Miami Heat 78 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 67: NBA Finals 2012 – Third Quarter Breakdown
Throughout the playoffs this year, third quarter has been the forefront for both teams taking part in the NBA Finals this year. Much like the first game of the series, Oklahoma City Thunder got going in the third period by putting
up 24 points; however the 23 points in response from Miami Heat did not allow any turnarounds to happen in this one.
Kevin Durant was finally able to get into his shooting rhythm as he got up to get the first points of the period and cutting the lead down to 10. He made all of his 4 field goal attempts in the quarter to manage 16 points before
heading into final quarter of this crucial Game 2.
Russell Westbrook equalled his outing from the first half which allowed him to manage 18 points after three quarters of game time had been played. Serge Ibaka added 1 point from the charity stripe while Kendrick Perkins was also
able to get 4 points in the period.
James Harden who had been the go to guy for the Thunder in the first half was unable to keep up his figures after failing to get any points in the period. He did try to make up for it by getting 4 rebounds till the third but the
most surprising factor was that Harden missed two free throws and was also responsible for turning the ball over once in the frame.
From the Miami side LeBron James continued to lead the way by managing 26 points after three quarters. He scored 12 points in the frame and was consistently able to make his way to the basket relying on his physical strength to
get most of score. Chris Bosh who had 10 points in the first half alone was ineffective in the third period and failed to register a single point to his name.
Dwyane Wade was able to make his way to 17 points up to this point in the contest, 4 of which came in the third period. The strongest factor working in favour of Miami was their impressive shooting from beyond the arch. Shane Battier
went 4- of - 6 from behind the three point line to managed 14 points before the start of the fourth.
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