2012 NBA Finals: (2) Heat vs (2) Thunder

[Mavs4Life]

Are you okay benji? Some of the things you've been saying in the last few days have been crazy, even for you.

[Andrew]

Thunder let that one slip away in the fourth when they went cold. One wonders if it might've gone down differently had Durant not been forced to the bench with a very questionable call on his fourth foul halfway through the third, but the Heat still could've made that run regardless. Sketchy officiating both ways once again, at least slightly marring another otherwise good, exciting game.

That was the start the Thunder needed though. They'll need to do the same thing in Games 4 and 5 to really have a shot, no more 18-2 deficits out of the gate. Durant has to stay out of foul trouble though, losing him in the third killed their momentum. If Harden can make a jumpshot, if they can execute better in the fourth than they did today, the next two games are winnable. Even if they head back to OKC down 3-2, I think they've got a decent shot if they're firing on all cylinders. Knocking down their free throws would help too, if they shot them like they did during the regular season and most of the Playoffs so far, they'd have won this one.

For Miami, great games from LeBron and Wade. There's been no hesitation or passiveness from LeBron in crunch time, looks like he's overcome whatever mental obstacles were standing in his way last year. Solid performances elsewhere too.

[NovU]

Third quarter performance nearly had me turn off the TV. Thanks to the Fresh Slice Pizza that I had to finish while I was watching the game. That kept me in front of TV rather than playing my own 2K12 OKC vs MIA Finals.

[benji]

Third quarter performance nearly had me turn off the TV. Thanks to the Fresh Slice Pizza that I had to finish while I was watching the game. That kept me in front of TV rather than playing my own 2K12 OKC vs MIA Finals.

And you didn't vomit it up when Wade kept fucking up handling the ball?

The Heat took it away from him and finally sealed the game.

Are you okay benji? Some of the things you've been saying in the last few days have been crazy, even for you.

Just evaluating the impact on the legacies of these players.

They're on the biggest stage in all the world, this is no time for imperfections.

[NovU]

Right. Wade was choking. And that almost made me choke on pizza as well. Thanks to the delicious, refreshing, and exhilarating Coca Cola though. I kept it in.

Metta WorldPeace ‏@MettaWorldPeace
No brain All beard

Lolz. This guy's a pure class.

[Andrew]

If there's anyone who can relate to not having a brain, it's Metta World Peace.

[George7]

Damn, okc chocked... One bad shot after the other, with Westbrook being the main reason for those bad attempts. That wide open brick of his was the nail in the coffin for the thunder, along with the bad pass from Sefolosha...

[Andrew]

Durant missing those two free throws was huge as well, it's not all on Westbrook. What could've been a three point Thunder lead instead turned into a one point Heat lead, with the Thunder trailing the rest of the way.

[NovU]

a very questionable call on his fourth foul halfway through the third, but the Heat still could've made that run regardless.

Right, I thought that was a game changer. Bron was disappearing and Durant was superb in that period. Wade somehow made a big play, making it look like a legit foul. The way he put up the shot made it look like there was clearly a contact.

[Sauru]

Stop trying to patronize anyone with your utmost Celtics fanboism.

this is why you are an idiot. unlike you i can look at the game as a whole and understand it. this has nothing to do with me being a fan of the celtics, if i was a fucking clippers fan i would say the exact same thing to you but you are too fucking stupid to see beyond my pic of larry bird and insist i am only trying to say the celtics should be in the finals or something. hell i dont even know what the fuck you are trying to say anymore.

[benji]

Forget it Sauru, it's NovUtown.

[benji]

[NovU]

Why is Spo guarding Westbrook? Thx for letting that one slip, crawford.

unlike you i can look at the game as a whole and understand it.

Forget it sauru. I am not the one who thought the Celtics were one of the top three team over the Heat out of four remaining teams.

[Nick]

"Too small"

fanboism

Seems like the pot calling the kettle black to me.

[SoF'nAwesome]

So, what's the word downtown?

[Phil89]

I wonder how many Thunder fans are wishing this was Greg Oden right now. Kevin Durant clearly is not the kind of player you can rely on to win a title. But Greg Oden would massacre the Heat inside.

Crazy how just one pick in the draft changing can mean the difference between a title and nothing.

[NovU]

Do you guys think the media and all that talk got to Westbrook's head? Or was it Scott Brooks? Westbrook I don't think was aggressive getting to the basket compared to previous two games where he was giving us all kind of trouble. I would certainly welcome less aggressive Westbrook as it would make Heat's life much easier.

fanboism

Seems like the pot calling the kettle black to me.

Aren't we all alil... nvm.

[SkyLine03LT]

a very questionable call on his fourth foul halfway through the third, but the Heat still could've made that run regardless.

Right, I thought that was a game changer. Bron was disappearing and Durant was superb in that period. Wade somehow made a big play, making it look like a legit foul. The way he put up the shot made it look like there was clearly a contact.

There was some contact, similar to Durant's last shot in game 2, but that's the kind of foul that if claimed foul on playground, he would have been called a pussy forever after.

I can say this has been one of the most spectacular series in the history so far. Very entertaining.

[Sauru]

Forget it sauru. I am not the one who thought the Celtics were one of the top three team over the Heat out of four remaining teams.

and i stand by that. notice i said TEAM as in, they play as a team not give the ball to someone and hope they do something good

Forget it Sauru, it's NovUtown.

good point.

[NovU]

and i stand by that. notice i said TEAM as in, they play as a team not give the ball to someone and hope they do something good

Irony because I thought the Pacers were a better team than the Celtics because if it wasn't for Bosh's injury, the Celtics would have put up a less fight than the Pacers ever did. But I don't want to entertain you with my version of ur bradley-scenario, just forget it.

There was some contact, similar to Durant's last shot in game 2, but that's the kind of foul that if claimed foul on playground, he would have been called a pussy forever after.

There was a contact but it was while en route to the basket. The whistle came later while he was under the rim. Perhaps Wade anticipated a foul so made it look like one? We will never know but that was still a bad call overall. Kevin Durant picked up some silly fouls in this game and I thought it was costly for the Thunder.

[Spree#8]

3 of Durant's 5 fouls were questionable. That one on Wade, offensive foul on what was Bosh's moving screen and another offensive foul when Wade clearly sold the contact to the refs.

Anyway, after he sat down with 4, the Thunder got a 10-point lead and then... let the Westbrick show begin! He threw up 3 or 4 bricks in a row, killing any momentum and offensive flow OKC had. The back-to-back, extremely dumb fouls on 3-pointers helped Miami reduce the lead and it went downhill for Oklahoma from that moment. With Durant sitting, Brooks also took Westbrook out, leaving nobody who could create a shot for the Thunder on the court as Harden was terrible in game 3. The way they were shooting free throws in the second half also didn't help.

Even so, they could have won this game thanks to Wade and his turnovers (for the second straight game, wow). However, they let their chance slip with their "inbound play" and Westbrook's missed open three. I'm not so sure about Harden's blocking foul on LeBron, either (not saying it should have been a charge, I think it should have been a no-call). James did a good job of getting to the basket and ultimately not letting the Thunder come back. Durant didn't score well in the 4th, but it was quite predictable he wouldn't score 17 points in the final period every game.

Anyway, the Heat won the game in which they shot 5/31 from outside the paint. This game might be very costly for the Thunder, especially if they lose game 4 as well. They can't afford to not punish their opponents for horrible shooting and let them get to the paint and/or get offensive rebounds, not at this level.

[koberulz]

You can talk about the refs all you like, but at the end of the day Scott Brooks was the one who sat Durant. Not them.

I didn't think Harden's foul with 16 seconds left should have been called. Looked to me like LeBron threw an elbow and Harden flopped.

[Andrew]

Harden's flop forced them to make a call and unfortunately for the Thunder, it went against him. A blunder on his part but with some of the inconsistent calls we've seen, it could've easily been called an offensive foul instead. When the contact came, I guess he figured it was worth the gamble to force the turnover.

[NovU]

Right. There wouldn't have been needs to blow the whistle if it wasn't for the flop. And just before that I thought he got away with a reach in as well. It's good to be aggressive but fouling anyone was last resort they needed to turn to. Couple mental lapses in game 3 overall came costly for the Thunder. The Heat were shooting terribly and this was a missed opportunity for them. Huge.

[Mavs4Life]

OKC with the "thunderous" start.