NBA Finals: Miami Heat Rebound to Win Game 2 Against OC Thunder
The Miami Heat wanted to make a statement after their game one loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night, and boy they played like it for three-and-a-half quarters before things got a little uneasy. For some inexplicable reason, the Thunder once again got off to a poor start at home, and they fell behind 18-2. Dwayne Wade looked far better than he did in game one, and LeBron James seemed far more assertive. The Thunder tried to get closer in the second quarter and they did, but the turning point in the quarter came when Kevin Durant was called for goaltending when it was clear that Serge Ibaka blocked the initial shot and Durant came and hit it off the backboard. Regardless, it gave the Heat two points and then after the Thunder failed to score, the Heat came back down and hit a three. Boom! A five point swing and momentum back in favor of the Heat. That was one of the turning points in the game.
With the Thunder trailing by twelve at halftime 55-43, ABC analyst Magic Johnson said that Russell Westbrook played the worst first half of basketball by a point guard in NBA Finals history. Yea, Westbrook played bad, sloppy and out of control, but I think Magic was a prisoner of the moment when he made that statement. Westbrook came out in the second half and played very well, and he ended with a total of 27 points to go along with seven assists and eight rebounds. Durant also came to play in the second half, he hit his first seven shots from the field and a big three to cut the lead to two at 98-96. The Thunder had a chance to tie the game later, and it looked like James got a piece of Durant, but no call was made, and the Thunder’s rally fell short, losing the game 100-96. The series is now tied 1-1 heading into game three which is Sunday night at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
The unsung heroes for the Heat without question were Chris Bosh and Shane Battier. Bosh had a double-double by halftime, and he consistently provided the Heat with second chances by hauling in rebounds. Bosh finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Battier was once again brilliant shooting from beyond the arc. He hit five threes in the game, including a bank in the fourth quarter that gave the Heat a comfortable lead. If Battier can continue to knock down threes and if Bosh can continue to give the Heat the type of play he showed in game two, the Heat will win.
The Thunder cannot start out any game in Miami like they did at home in games one and two. Otherwise this series will be over in five. It is difficult to determine why the Thunder have started out so slowly in the first two games. Maybe they’re too amped up, but it’s definitely something the Thunder fans (the best fans int he NBA) should be worried about. We’ll see how they play in game three.