The Miami Heat came into this game hoping to show they won't lose another finals, Kevin Durant had other plans. Durant rally the Thunder to a 105-94 win in game 1 of the finals over the Miami Heat, Durant had 36 points (12-20 FG, 4-8 3PT, 8-9 FT) 8 rebounds & 4 assists. (Quite a performance for someone that just played his first finals game) Russell Westbrook had a quiet 9 points (3-10 FG) after the first 24 minutes, however, he scored 19 points after the break and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds, flirting with a triple double. The unsung hero for OKC was forward Nick Collison 8 points (4-5 FG) and 10 boards. This win has to felt really good for Oklahoma, they only got 5 points from the sixth man of the year, James Harden. The Thunder outscored the Heat 24-4 in transition.
Thabo Sefolosha only had 9 points (2-5 FG) but his defense on James and Wade was outstanding.
Lebron James finished the game with 30 points (11-24 FG) , 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, Dwyane Wade didn't do enough, he ended up with 19 points (7-19 FG) , 8 assists and 4 rebounds, Chris Bosh came off the bench yet again and scored 10 points (4-11 FG) in 34 minutes. Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier had 29 points between the them, including 6 three pointers.
Erik Spoelstra did an horrible job managing this game, he played a total of eight players in the entire game, and two of them (Miller and Anthony) didn't even played 15 minutes combined. He also made Shane Battier played 42 minutes and brought Bosh off the bench again. Just terrible
Miami made it tough for OKC, they had the lead for most of the game, Shane Battier made three triples in the first quarter (13 in the first half), and Miami had a 29-22 lead after the first 12 minutes. The Heat even had a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter, Lebron James had 10 in the period, but Derek Fisher (4 points) and Serge Ibaka (8 points) made sure they lead didn't grow further and kept OKC in the game, they remained down 54-47 at the half.
Lebron James scored 9 points in the third quarter, he tried to keep Miami in front, Dwyane Wade had a quiet quarter (6 points), but behind Westbrook's 12 third quarter points and a very improved defense, OKC dominated the quarter 27-19 and got the lead 74-73.
Kevin Durant went ballistic in the 4th quarter, scoring 17 points in the last 12 minutes, hitting shots from everywhere and outscoring Lebron James in the process. James only had 7 4th quarter points. Durant biggest play of the period came with less than two minutes to go, he was doubled and found Nick Collison for a wide open dunk that gave the Thunder a 99-92 lead.
Note: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook outscored Lebron James and Dwyane Wade 63-49.
The Miami Heat are going to need more production from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh if they want to avoid getting to Miami down 0-2, their bench players also got to step up. Losing by 11 to a Thunder team that only counted with 5 points from James Harden isn't a very good sign, they should be concerned.
Game 2 is on Thursday.
Credit: NBA Yahoo sports/Getty Images
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