Heat win championship with game 5 blowout

The Miami Heat claimed their 2nd championship in franchise history following a game 5 blowout of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Miami won the game 121-106 and at one point had a 27 point lead.  The Heat opened the game with a barrage of three-pointers set up by Lebron James, one of the best passing forwards in the history of the NBA.  The Thunder repeatedly threw double teams in James' direction in hopes of slowing him down, however James made the correct play time after time, setting up spot up shooters with open looks.  Mike Miller was one of the primary beneficiaries of Lebron's exploitation of the Thunder's defensive scheme and knocked down 7 of his 8 three-point shot attempts.
James, who was awarded the NBA Finals MVP award, concluded his historic postseason with a triple double finishing the game with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists despite being hobbled by the cramps that forced him to leave game 4 early.  James averaged 30, 9 and 5 for this postseason, in which he showed off the post game that he had worked so hard to develop last summer.  Particularly in the Finals series, James attacked the basket with a ferocity that had been missing from his game in the Finals a year ago.  Rather than settling for jump shots, James took the ball into the paint play after play, either resulting in a high percentage shot for himself, a trip to the foul line where he is much improved, or an open look for a teammate when help defenders rotated his way.

Lebron James

Dwyane Wade, the 2006 Finals MVP won the second championship of his career, and scored 20 points in the title clinching game.  Chris Bosh, the final member of the Heat's big 3 scored 24 points in winning the first championship of his career.  James, Bosh and Wade, all members of the NBA draft class of 2003, signed contracts with the Heat in the summer of 2010 in the hopes of establishing the NBA's next dynasty.  After last summer's devastating loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, the Heat's players rediscovered their love of basketball, blocked out all distractions and focused only on redeeming themselves and achieving their mission of winning a title.  During the trophy presentation ceremony James was asked about winning his first NBA championship.  He responded with the words "It's about damn time," capturing the thoughts of basketball fans everywhere, who had long been wondering when the world's best player would finally be coronated as a champion.
With the loss, the Thunder completed a remarkable season in which the team became among the elite organizations in the league.  The Thunder will return next season with the team's core intact and another season of experience to prepare the team to start its own dynasty.

Despite legendary performance by Westbrook, Heat take 3-1 series lead

Russell Westbrook provided the Oklahoma City Thunder with one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history and scored an electrifying 43 points, however, it was not enough for the Thunder who fell to the Miami Heat 104-98.  The Heat took a 3-1 series lead over OKC with the game 4 victory and move to within a game of the first championship in the big 3 era.  Miami's big 3 of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh played extremely well yet again, with Wade scoring 25 points and James leading the Heat with 26 and falling one rebound shy of a triple double.

Chalmers and Bosh

The key to the game for the Heat was the production it received from Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole at the point guard position, a position of relative weakness for Miami.  The Thunder took an early 17 point lead in the first quarter, but the Heat were able to march back and tie the game within minutes thanks in part to the tremendous energy off the bench by Cole who scored 8 points in only 8 minutes of gameplay.  Chalmers who had struggled early in the game appeared to be motivated by Cole's performance and was sensational for the Heat, scoring 25 points including 12 in the 4th quarter and the final 5 points for Miami to seal the victory.  

Russell Westbrook

The Thunder wasted a legendary performance by Westbrook who almost singlehandedly kept the Thunder in the game in the 4th quarter by scoring 13 straight points for the team over a 4 minute stretch.  Westbrook had a very efficient performance converting on 20 of his 32 field goal attempts which included several athletic drives to the basket, pull-up jumpers in semi-transition, midrange shots off crossovers or pick and rolls, and an incredible outback dunk off a missed layup by Thabo Sefolosha.  The Thunder received a relatively quiet 28 points from Kevin Durant and very little offensive production from anyone else.  In order to extend the series the Thunder have to get James Harden going offensively.  Harden had only 8 points in yet another disappointing game this series and must provide the Thunder with a 3rd scoring option.

Lebron James suffered muscle cramps which forced him to leave the game with 2 minutes remaining in the game, but was able to make the go ahead three-pointer that put the Heat ahead for good just before he left the game.

Heat win game 3, take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals

The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 91-85 to take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.  It was an ugly, sloppy yet hard-fought game in which neither team shot over 43% from the field.  Miami's big 3 of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had another tremendous game.   James lead the way with 29 points and 14 rebounds, Wade attacked early and often en route to finishing with 25 points, 7 boards and 7 assists, and Bosh played excellent defense and was crucial in helping the Heat shut down the Thunder's driving lanes to the basket.
The Heat dominated the paint early in the first half with 10 of the team's first 11 made shots coming from within the paint.   Despite the Heat's interior domination in the opening half, the Thunder were kept in the game by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who each had 13 points in the half, including a three-pointer by Westbrook with 2 seconds left in the half that cut the Heat lead to 1.  Westbrook responded to the widespread criticism of his performance in game 2 by playing efficiently and successfully blending aggression with control.
The Thunder opened the second half with scorching offensive production, taking a 10 point lead when Derek Fisher converted a 4 point play.  With 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and the Thunder seemingly poised to blow away the Heat, Durant picked up his 4th foul and was sent to the bench for the remainder of the quarter along with Westbrook.  By the end of the quarter the Heat had regained the lead, and swung the momentum of the game in its favor.
Neither team played particularly well offensively in the 4th with Miami committing 9 turnovers and the Thunder missing free throw after free throw.  Despite being the best free throw shooting team in both the regular season and the playoffs, OKC has struggled to convert on its free throws in the Finals making only 15 of 24 in game 3.  Miami in comparison made 31 of 35 free throws, a remarkable shooting performance for the Heat which swung the game.  James played excellent defense on Durant in the 4th quarter, limiting him to only 4 points after he torched the Heat for a combined 33 4th quarter points in the first two games of the series.  To win the next game, OKC has to get more production from James Harden who struggled shooting the ball and finished with only 9 points in the game.

Wade, James and Bosh silence their critics as Heat win game 2 to tie NBA Finals

Coming off the Miami Heat's game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder the team's numerous haters claimed that Dwyane Wade was old and washed up, Lebron James wilted in big moments and lacked the ability to make plays in the 4th quarter and knock down his free throws, and that Chris Bosh was a soft, perimeter oriented player.  The Heat's 100-96 victory in game 2 of the NBA Finals silenced the critics, for one night at least.  James had an NBA Finals career high 32 points and repeatedly worked the ball into the paint, and used his unique combination of size, strength and athleticism to finish around the rim.  James also made all 12 of his free throw attempts, including two with 7 seconds remaining to give the Heat a 4 point lead.  Wade delivered an inspired performance finishing with 24 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, and proving that declarations about his demise were greatly exaggerated.  Bosh played a physical game and had points and 15 rebounds, including 7 crucial offensive rebounds that gave the Heat several opportunities for second chance points.  Shane Battier provided the Heat's big 3 with plenty of help finishing with 17 points and 5 three-pointers that helped spread the floor.  As a team the Heat absolutely dominated the Thunder inside, outscoring the Thunder 48-32 in the paint, a stark contrast to game 1.  The Heat also did a much better job preventing the youthful and athletic Thunder from getting easy points in transition, limiting OKC to 11 fast break points, less than half as many as the team had in game 1.
The Heat got off to an excellent start, beginning the game with an 18-2 lead before James Harden went on a tear scoring 10 of his 21 points in the last four and a half minutes of the first quarter.  The Heat had a 12 point halftime lead, but Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored a combined 44 second half points, including 16 in the 4th quarter by Durant, to lead a furious comeback by the Thunder.  The Heat had a 13 point lead with 9 minutes remaining in the game.  With under a minute let in the game and the Thunder trailing by 7, Durant, who had 32 points in the game, made a layup and on the following possession drained a three-pointer in semi transition off a difficult assist from Westbrook, who had 27 points, 8 boards and 7 assists, to cut the Heat lead down to 2.  After a missed three-pointer by Lebron, the Thunder called a timeout and inbounded the ball to Durant with 12 seconds left in the game.  Durant caught the ball on the baseline, guarded by James, took 1 dribble and missed a fadeaway shot.  James appeared to make plenty of contact with Durant, however, the officials did not call a foul.  After the Heat rebounded the missed shot, James was sent to the free throw line where he knocked down both attempts to ice the game.

Kevin Durant and the Thunder win game 1 of the NBA Finals

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder proved that despite their youth and inexperience they were prepared to play on basketball's biggest, and defeated the Miami Heat 105-94 in game 1 of the NBA Finals.  Durant was once again sensational, leading all scorers with 36 points on 60% field goal shooting, including a remarkable 17 points in the decisive 4th quarter.
The Heat raced out to a 13 point lead in the 2nd quarter behind 5 first quarter three-pointers by Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier, who did an excellent job spreading the floor for Miami in the first half.  Miami entered halftime with a 7 point lead on very efficient shooting.
In the second half the Thunder played much more aggressive and tenacious defense, refusing to give Miami the same open looks it had in the first half.  By the end of the 3rd quarter the Thunder took its first lead of the game, which the team never relinquished.  After being guarded by Durant for the majority of the first three quarters, Lebron James, who had an NBA Finals career high 30 points, made only two 4th quarter field goals while being guarded by Thabo Sefolosha, one of the NBA's top perimeter defenders.  Durant and Russell Westbrook alone amazingly combined to outscore the Heat in the 2nd half 41-40.  Westbrook fell 2 rebounds shy of a triple-double, finishing with 27 points and 11 assists.
The Thunder were able to limit themselves to only 10 turnovers in the game, which proved crucial in limiting Miami's unstoppable transition offense, and allowed OKC to outscore the Heat 24-4 on the fast break.  In the 2nd half James received little help from his teammates.  In order to compensate for OKC's advantage in talent and depth, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have to play better in the next few games and be more aggressive offensively.  Game 2 will be played in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

NBA Finals 2012 Preview

On Tuesday night the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Miami Heat in game 1 of the NBA Finals.  The highly anticipated matchup between the two teams will feature several of the NBA's brightest stars, including up to 6 potential members of this summer's US olympic basketball roster.  Both squads were widely considered the preseason favorites to reach the Finals, and the series between the two should be a memorable one.  In order to decide what team has the edge heading into the Finals, I decided to examine a position by position comparison between the two teams.

Point Guard:

• OKC:  Russell Westbrook is arguably the most athletic point guard of all time, and among the best at the position in today's NBA.  The UCLA product has an unguardable midrange game, and can create a shot for himself whenever he chooses.  If Westbrook is knocking down his jump shots, driving lanes to the basket will open up for him, and he will become impossible to stop offensively.  This past season the 23 year old Westbrook, who was named an all-star for the second time in his young career, averaged over 23 points per game, 5 assists per game and nearly 5 rebounds per game.  Westbrook is a terror in transition, using his incredible quickness and anticipation to take away passing lanes defensively and force turnovers leading to easy fast break points for the youthful Thunder.  Westbrook's oft-maligned decision making has improved a great deal this season, although he can be a bit careless with the ball.  Against the Heat, the only team in the league that can match the Thunder in transition, Westbrook and the Thunder have to limit their turnovers.  After leading the league in turnovers in the regular season, the Thunder has been among the best teams at taking care of the ball in the playoffs.
• Miami: Mario Chalmers has big game experience, having started at point guard for the Heat last season in the team's Finals appearance, and having won a national championship at the University of Kansas in 2008.  Chalmers is most well known for draining a three pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to send the national championship game to overtime, where his team prevailed.  Chalmers has an inconsistent jump shot, and prone to making questionable plays.  If he is able to space the floor by knocking down open three point shots it will be crucial for a Heat team which lacks many viable three point shooters.  Chalmers plays hard defensively and is good at forcing turnovers, which may prove to be the deciding factor in the series.
• The Verdict: The Thunder clearly have a huge advantage at point guard, as Westbrook is one of the NBA's top players.

Shooting Guard:

• OKC:  Thabo Sefolosha, a native of Switzerland, has carved out a niche for himself on the Thunder as a role player who understands his duty and fulfills it exceedingly well.   Sefolosha is an elite perimeter defender, who used his massive wingspan and lateral quickness to slow down Tony Parker in the Western Conference Finals.   Sefolosha also brings to the table excellent three point shooting, having made almost 44% of his three point field goal attempts this past season.  Sefolosha will be tasked with stopping Dwyane Wade in the Finals, likely his most difficult assignment to date.

• Miami:  Dwyane Wade is a future hall of famer with credentials that can be matched by only a handful of players in the world.  Wade, an 8-time all-star, all-star mvp, former scoring champion, and Olympic gold medalist, was the NBA Finals MVP in 2006, when he put together one of the greatest Finals performances of all time in leading the Heat to the franchise's first NBA title.  Wade is excellent penetrating to the basket, and his ability to finish near the rim and absorb contact are among his greatest skills.  He has a great midrange game and court vision.  In transition Wade combines with Lebron James to form arguably the most feared fast break duo in NBA history.  Wade's brilliance is not limited to the offensive half of the court, as he is also one of the league's top perimeter defenders, and unquestionably one of the greatest shot blockers of all time at the guard position.
• The Verdict: Few Shooting Guards in NBA history would have an advantage over Wade.  Heat win in a cakewalk.

Small Forward:

• OKC: Kevin Durant has matured into one of the top two players in the NBA.  The three time defending scoring champion's ability to put the ball in the rim is unrivaled.  Durant uses his beautiful shooting stroke, limitless range, innate ability to put up a shot at any time, athleticism and soft touch around the basket to score in every way possible.  Durant is widely considered to be the consummate teammate, an unselfish leader who truly cares about his teammates and is concerned with only winning.  Durant's development of a complete game in the past two seasons has elevated his team to one of the league's top title contenders.  Durant led his team in rebounding this past season, averaged a career high 3.5 assists per game and greatly improved his ability to create easy shots for his teammates and was one of only 13 players to average over 1 steal and 1 block per game in the regular season.  Additionally, Durant made significant strides as a defender, using his length to contest shots, and improving his defense on pick and rolls.  This season Durant has showed off his killer instinct by knocking down several clutch shots late in games.  In a December game against Dallas Durant knocked down a buzzer beating three pointer to win the game.  He made a game winner with 4 seconds left in game 1 of OKC's first round series against Dallas, followed that up with a game winning 3 with 15 seconds left in game 4 of the semifinals against the Lakers, and finally scored 18 points in the 4th quarter of game 4 of the conference finals against the Spurs.  Durant is cementing his reputation as one of the league's most clutch players, and at only 23 years old it is remarkable that he has already led his team to the NBA's biggest stage.

• Miami: Lebron James is considered by many to be the best basketball player in the world.  His elite skills in almost every facet of the game, and ability to affect the game in so many different ways is what sets him apart from every one else on the planet.  The three time league MVP is a former scoring champion and one of the league's top scorers.  His combination of strength, size and quickness is unparalleled and makes him unstoppable in transition and when he attacks the basket.  James' court vision and passing ability for a player of his height is matched by only Magic Johnson in NBA history.  James' athleticism makes him one of the best rebounding small forwards in the league.  Finally, Lebron is arguably the best defender in the league as demonstrated by his 4 consecutive inclusions on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.  James is a shutdown perimeter defender, great help defender, high basketball IQ, and a breathtaking penchant for performing chase down blocks.  James' one flaw is his sometimes exaggerated shrinking from big moments.  He has been chastised by the public for playing uncharacteristically poorly in the NBA Finals last year, and for often passing up shots late in games.  James made the first step towards improving his reputation in big moments by scoring 45 points in a must win game 6 in the Conference Finals against the Celtics.  No player has more at stake in these finals than James, who desperately wants to win a title to cement his legacy as an all-time great.
• Verdict: Evenly matched.  This matchup features the top 2 players in the world both of whom are eager to win a first championship.

Power Forward:

• OKC: Serge Ibaka is an athletic specimen who possesses a game altering defensive presence.  Ibaka led the league in blocks by a wide margin, averaging 3.6 per game.  If the opposition has a big who can stretch the floor with his shooting, Ibaka is often forced out to the perimeter negating his ability to block shots. Ibaka is one of the Thunder's top mid range shooters, as demonstrated by his 11-11 shooting performance in game 4 of the Conference Finals against the Spurs.  Ibaka's size and athleticism makes him very difficult to slow down when he rolls to the basket off pick and rolls with Westbrook or James Harden.  
• Miami: Chris Bosh is one of the league's top shooting big men, making him extremely effective in pick and pop situations.  Bosh is the type of big man who can spread the floor and force Ibaka to drift to the perimeter on defense, opening up driving lanes for Wade and Lebron.  Bosh is a 7-time all-star, however his health going into the series is in question.  Bosh suffered an abdominal strain early in the Heat's conference seminal series against Indiana, and was able to play in the Heat's final three games of their series against Boston.  If Bosh is able to start for the Heat it will provide them with a huge boost and prove crucial in matching up with Ibaka.
• Verdict: When healthy Bosh is the superior player.

Center:

• OKC: Kendrick Perkins is an intimidating low post presence and not shy away from contact with James and Wade when they slash toward the basket.  At 27 years old, Perkins is the oldest player in the Thunder's starting lineup and has championship experience from his days in Boston.  If Perkins is stationed near the basket he will make life difficult for the Heat, however, if the Heat are able to draw him further from the basket in pick and roll situations he will struggle.  Low post scoring is not one of his strengths, too put it kindly.
• Miami: Udonis Haslem is often called the heart and soul of the Miami Heat.  He plays with intensity, defends hard and inspires his teammates.  Haslem is a good spot up shooter from midrange, and is able to score on post ups, although Perkins will likely be able to limit his interior scoring opportunities.  Haslem's ability to shoot may force Perkins to try to guard pick and rolls, which he struggled to do in the conference finals.
• Verdict: Perkins defensive presence gives the Thunder a slight edge.

Bench:

• OKC: Few teams can match OKC's depth and star power off the bench. James Harden is the NBA's reigning 6th man of the year and is an all-star caliber player.  Harden is a very good three point shooter and excels at penetrating to the basket and finishing at the rim.  Harden is a great playmaker and often serves as the Thunder's primary ball handler late in games.  His unselfishness and willingness to serve as the leader of the Thunder's second unit provides the team with a huge advantage.  Nick Collison is another big man who plays solid defense and can finish at the rim.  He and Durant are the only players remaining from the Thunder's days in Seattle as the Supersonics.  Derek Fisher provides the Thunder with veteran leadership, experience and fearlessness late in games.  Daequan Cook is a three point shooting specialist who can score in spurts and energize the Thunder.
• Miami: The Heat bring Shane Battier off the bench to provide them with quality defense and the potential to spread the floor by converting on three point shots, although he is no longer the player he once was.  Mike Miller is a top tier three point shooter and a good rebounder, although he struggles to stay healthy.  Joel Anthony provides the Heat with a physical interior presence defensively, but struggles to do anything offensively.
• Verdict: James Harden provides OKC with a huge advantage off the bench and the Thunder clearly has superior depth.