Official Miami Heat (4) vs OKC Thunder (1) NBA Finals Thread - Miami Heat NBA Champions

[lightweight champion]

Originally Posted by DubA169

Shane Battier was assigned to defend Durant, with help designed to come from James.

"No, it wasn't my choice," said James, who spent the majority of the game matched up with Kendrick Perkins. "It was a suggestion that Spo [coach Erik Spoelstra] brought up, and I thought it was good early on for us. It gave us an opportunity to switch a lot of pick-and-rolls. ... Whatever the case may be, we had a good game plan to start the game."


This guy bron doesn't understand his stature. He needs to demand to take Durant.

I don't like Bron either but him guarding Perk is a good idea if he's gonna turn it up as much as he can in the 4th. have him guard the guy who's gonna do the least scoring damage on the floor.

 

[deuce king]

Westbrook showed alot of heart last night and to me his energy helped carry the Thunder over the Heat, that and Durant's performance in the 4th quarter.  Also, for what it's worth to folks Wade is playing hurt right now. 

 

[dman14]

if im bron i go up to spo and demand to guard kd the whole gm. he gives them the best opportunity to slow kd down.
wade really needs to show up for 4 quarters because he can not pick and choose in this series.
time to start bosh
i like what okc did. give battier, chalmers, and the role guys the shots and live with the results. better them going off than wade/bron/bosh

SMH at that flop by battier at the end when the gm was out of hand
was it me or was fisher straight muscling chalmers. seem like dude was getting hurt. or was it just flops all around? lol

 

[Animal Thug]

This is the Finals. I don't want to hear ANY got damn excuses from anyone.

 

[ag 47]

Considering Miami needs Bron's production more than OKC needs Durant's, yes it's smart to keep LeBron OFF Durant. You have Shane Battier for a reason. I heard a stat the other day that Lebron averaged 46 minutes a game in the ECF's. LeBron is great, but he cannot play virtually every minute, guard Durant the entire game, and still have gas left to close a game out. Somebody on this Heat team is going to have to do their job sooner or later.

 

[andoneflip]

game 2 is a must win for miami if they lose its over

 

[solarius49]

Originally Posted by Deuce King

Westbrook showed alot of heart last night and to me his energy helped carry the Thunder over the Heat, that and Durant's performance in the 4th quarter.  Also, for what it's worth to folks Wade is playing hurt right now. 

They been saying this since Indiana...and then somehow he magically turns it on and starts dunking on people.  The only thing hurt about him is his pride

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Originally Posted by Deuce King

Westbrook showed alot of heart last night and to me his energy helped carry the Thunder over the Heat, that and Durant's performance in the 4th quarter.  Also, for what it's worth to folks Wade is playing hurt right now. 

I'm admittedly a Westbrook hater. Actually I think he's more shooting guard being asked to play point but he's playing much better in the playoffs. He still looks for his shot first (second & third) too much. I wish Stockton would run a PG camp kinda like Pete Newell used to run camps for big guys...Westbrook could learn so much about the nuances of being a PG...
  

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Originally Posted by AndOneFlip

game 2 is a must win for miami if they lose its over

Did you say that when the Thunder went down 0-2 on the road vs a team that just won 20 something straight games?

 

[freeze]

honestly, if it wasnt for a ton of phantom calls, the game wouldnt even have been as close as it was. thunder were looking to bust it wide open. and that's being objective.


i dont feel you can let bron off the hook. fourth quarter is all that matters. the score at the end of the game is all that is relevant. not half time, not how hot you come out in the 1st qtr. it's how you end it. and i didnt see anywhere near enough effort from LBJ. Sure he was nice 1-3 qtrs. did his thang, even though he settled for too many jumpers. he played pretty well. but that 4th, minus a few of those 'go head' fouls, dude would've ended with 4. no where near enough. dwade said it was lebrons team, he said this. it wasnt the media manipulating his words, i saw him say this out of his own mouth. so how then does lebron let dwade have the ball, and he just chills in the corner, not cutting, not running in for rebounds, not calling for the ball, or setting picks, or any of those pieces that equal winning basketball, when it matters most. I believe its moreso Dwade loans the team to lebron when he doesnt feel like playing then he takes that back whenever he feels 'come back to daddy', and lebron is too frail to say anything. Game 6 was an act. the skill is there, but mentally, that's not him. dude isnt really like that. you cant just wake up one day a cold blooded killer. I've never seen a sheep turn into a wolf.. either you are or you arent.

there's only so long fake thugs can pretend.

 

[ag 47]

Originally Posted by fraij da 5 11

Originally Posted by AndOneFlip

game 2 is a must win for miami if they lose its over

Did you say that when the Thunder went down 0-2 on the road vs a team that just won 20 something straight games?

Or Boston who won 3 straight after being down 0-2. Miami is supposed to be down 0-2 when they go home.

 

[darthska]

fraij da 5 11:

---

AndOneFlip:

---

game 2 is a must win for miami if they lose its over

Did you say that when the Thunder went down 0-2 on the road vs a team that just won 20 something straight games?
To be fair, though, this Thunder team is better than that Spurs team... obviously, since this Thunder reeled off 4 straight on that Spurs team after being down 0-2.

 

[darthska]

I'm stuck in the middle. Because I already stated (and stand by my stance that) gm. 1 isn't on Bron. [sas] HOWEVA... [/sas]

Originally Posted by Freeze

honestly, if it wasnt for a ton of phantom calls, the game wouldnt even have been as close as it was. thunder were looking to bust it wide open. and that's being objective.


i dont feel you can let bron off the hook. fourth quarter is all that matters. the score at the end of the game is all that is relevant. not half time, not how hot you come out in the 1st qtr. it's how you end it. and i didnt see anywhere near enough effort from LBJ. Sure he was nice 1-3 qtrs. did his thang, even though he settled for too many jumpers. he played pretty well. but that 4th, minus a few of those 'go head' fouls, dude would've ended with 4. no where near enough. dwade said it was lebrons team, he said this. it wasnt the media manipulating his words, i saw him say this out of his own mouth. so how then does lebron let dwade have the ball, and he just chills in the corner, not cutting, not running in for rebounds, not calling for the ball, or setting picks, or any of those pieces that equal winning basketball, when it matters most. I believe its moreso Dwade loans the team to lebron when he doesnt feel like playing then he takes that back whenever he feels 'come back to daddy', and lebron is too frail to say anything. Game 6 was an act. the skill is there, but mentally, that's not him. dude isnt really like that. you cant just wake up one day a cold blooded killer. I've never seen a sheep turn into a wolf.. either you are or you arent.

there's only so long fake thugs can pretend.

... I agree w/ this, too. Bron is a beast, but clearly not an assassin. Was Bron worse in the 4th than the first 3? No, of course not. Was he BETTER in the 4th than the first 3? No, no he wasn't. Was anyone ELSE better in the 4th than they were in the first 3? Yes, Durant, the face of the team that won.

Now, none of you Bron fans had a problem w/ me pointing out that this loss can't be pinned on Bron, but I'm fairly sure you'll take issue w/ what Freeze and I are saying. So Hank & Xta, let's hear it.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by solarius49

Originally Posted by Deuce King

Westbrook showed alot of heart last night and to me his energy helped carry the Thunder over the Heat, that and Durant's performance in the 4th quarter.  Also, for what it's worth to folks Wade is playing hurt right now. 

They been saying this since Indiana...and then somehow he magically turns it on and starts dunking on people.  The only thing hurt about him is his pride

Exactly. You can't have it both ways and blame injury when he scored 41 points on 17-25 shooting a couple of weeks ago. The same with Bosh. He scored 19 on 8-10 shooting the last game against the Celtics.

I hate when people use this "He's not himself" excuse after a player proves that he can play by having a great game. MJ drops 55 in MSG and then when he loses against the Magic in the playoffs a couple of months later it was all because he wasn't back. @#@$ that.

Bosh and Wade have proven they can play well. They didn't in game 1. Simple as that. Onto game 2. They still have a chance to steal one of the first two in OKC, and all will be good. And I would much rather have them steal game 2 than 1. Overall, the series doesn't really start until a team loses a home game.

 

[Animal Thug]

The Thunder just look like a more complete championship-caliber team. I see 3 star players, all who step up when it's time too. They also have an unbeatable front-court in Perkins and Ibaka. A bench that's well equipped to dominate the Heat's bench all 4 quarters.

Bosh seems to be intimidated by the Thunder's front-court. He took jumpers like he was playing the 2, that's not going to beat the Thunder. The Heat NEED Bosh to step up and play hard every minute. Otherwise, you can forget any chance to beat this team.

Also, one thing I wanted to mention was I seen the Thunder team take WAY too many jumpers to open the game. They need to get in the rhythm of driving to the basket more than shoot, or they can find themselves in trouble really quick if the Heat can turn those defensive rebounds into transition baskets.

Bron did all he can - as usual - but the Heat lack competent role players to get the job done. Doesn't look good for them.

Thunder got this one in the bag. Durant's legendary status will be cemented after this series.

 

[crazy dav0]

i've just read all of the replies ... it's like first take in here ... w/ mad skip bayless type comments ...

I've watched Lebron this postseason put his team on his back ... Bosh was hurt and wade is an enigma ... i saw bron play well for 3 quarters and i watched him at times stand on the sidelines and be ghost ... i saw him get 2 and 1s and have a ok 4th quarter. I thought he waited until too long before he tried to step up in the 4th. The misses he had were all solid attempts. I'm not gonna kill him for this game. It was game 1 ... he did a lot of things well. I didn't see him crashing the boards, trying to make his mark ... his steal attempt on KD was weak though

It's his supporting cast that is killing him ... if bron don't win this year ... it's a wrap, so some how, some way he's gonna have to find a way.... i don't feel bad for him at all ... i've never been a fan but i am starting to wonder ... how will this guy ever win ... too early for all that though ... there is still a games 2, 3, 4 ... etc.

wade was giving the official sharp looks all night ... dude is the worst ... makes me

@ the wade / kobe thread

Russ is the ultimate wildcard and can swing this series in either direction and that is why i think OKC in 6. Crazy how harden didn't even do anything. Spo better be focused in his adj.

i expect fisher to not be so good in game 2, russ to be about the same

, harden to be more productive, bosh and wade to be more productive, but less battier as well... that crowd is crazy though ...

if okc wins game 2 ... it's pretty much a wrap ... historically speaking it's very hard for the other team to win the middle 3 home games. Miami will have their work cut out for them.

 

[big j 33]

I obviously don't think highly of ESPN, but this graphic is just too much

So Lebron scored and got more rebounds in 3 quarters combined than in the 4th? Shocking. The only important thing I took from this is he shot 2-6 from the field in the 4th

 

[darthska]

Xtapolapacetl:

---

Bosh and Wade have proven they can play well. They didn't in game 1.
That's... really all there is to it. Yeah, we can all talk about a ton of other stuff... Bron's history, the Finals last year, disappearing Heat role players, Durant's fourth, but really...

Xtapolapacetl:

---

Bosh and Wade have proven they can play well. They didn't in game 1.
... is the story of gm. 1 for the Heat, in my opinion.

 

[hankmoody]

Originally Posted by HankMoody

Honestly didn't even see LeBron on Durant that much this game. A lot of Battier and Wade. When I did see LeBron on him, OKC ran some effective screens to force the switch and/or get Durant in motion.

The thing is, James barely even guarded Durant in Game 1 even though the OKC star was mostly neutralized this season against the Heat when James was his primary defender. According to ESPN Stats & Info, James guarded Durant on only five plays in Game 1, which led to two missed shots and two turnovers. When guarded by a host of defenders led by Shane Battier, Durant scored 34 points and shot 12-for-18 from the floor without turning the ball over once. In fact, all of Durant's 10 turnovers against the Heat have come while James was the primary defender.

 

[k2theablam]

Originally Posted by Big J 33

I obviously don't think highly of ESPN, but this graphic is just too much

So Lebron scored and got more rebounds in 3 quarters combined than in the 4th? Shocking. The only important thing I took from this is he shot 2-6 from the field in the 4th

These stats are useless.

 

[Animal Thug]

I get whats ESPN is saying; that the rate of what he was producing in the first 3 quarters didn't carry over into the 4th - however, it's meaningless to compare 3 full quarters to 1 and say - he didn't produce as much.

ESPN is ******ed.

 

[the yes guy]

He was producing at nearly the same rate though (not even a point per quarter less), that's the most ridiculous part.

 

[k2theablam]

Originally Posted by Animal Thug1539

I get whats ESPN is saying; that the rate of what he was producing in the first 3 quarters didn't carry over into the 4th - however, it's meaningless to compare 3 full quarters to 1 and say - he didn't produce as much.

ESPN is ******ed.

uh... actually the "rate" is the same
> 23 points through three quarters is 7.6 points per quarter....

> Free throws are virtually the same 

> Rebounds 7 through 3 quarters is 2.3 per quarter, and lebron got 2

The only stat that holds water is shot percentage... but even that stat wasn't properly illustrated. 

If anything, that screen shows that lebron is consistent throughout all three quarters, not fails in the 4th.

That stat screen is ******ed, and I'm a lebron hater.

 

[mr s j king]

I'm watching the "Flu Game" and just happen to realize how stacked the Bulls were.
Jordan had Pippen, Rodman, and Ron Harper in his starting five. Nobody seemed to mind that.
LeBron goes to Miami to team up with a 6'3" shooting guard and a soft 6'10" forward witth no post game, and he is hated for stacking the deck.
Nobody back then complained about Jordan getting Rodman and Harper to come play with him & Pippen
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they had arguably the best coach in the game.
All everybody does now is talk about how LeBron sold out and went to play with other stars.

Its amazing to see the difference in mindsets in just a 15yr span. All these cry babies today is pathetic.
Karl Malone didn't complain about having to face Jordan and that All Star team.
Malone had Stockton, Hornacek, Ostertagg, and Russell to battle Jordan and the All Stars.
LeBron brings his squad to the arena and people today act like he has Magic, Dr. J, Bird, Pistol Pete, Jerry West, and Olajuwon coming off the bench.
I hope with a passion the Heat win this series and King James gets his first rings.
And this is coming from a Mavericks fan who hated the Heat for crushing our title run in '06.

 

[deuce king]

Originally Posted by psk2310

Originally Posted by Deuce King

Westbrook showed alot of heart last night and to me his energy helped carry the Thunder over the Heat, that and Durant's performance in the 4th quarter.  Also, for what it's worth to folks Wade is playing hurt right now. 

I'm admittedly a Westbrook hater. Actually I think he's more shooting guard being asked to play point but he's playing much better in the playoffs. He still looks for his shot first (second & third) too much. I wish Stockton would run a PG camp kinda like Pete Newell used to run camps for big guys...Westbrook could learn so much about the nuances of being a PG...
  

Yeah, Westbrook has ALOT to learn in that apsect.  As far as last night goes, he had that exchange with Battier and even got into it a bit with Lebron on defense, he showed alot of heart and fight. 

They been saying this since Indiana...and then somehow he magically turns it on and starts dunking on people.  The only thing hurt about him is his pride


Maybe, but he did apparently have his knee drained during the Boston series.