There is no doubt that Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals was a great one. What have we learned about these teams? So far we know that the Heat can't hold a lead on the Thunder. After an 18-2 start and a 17 point lead, the Thunder got as close as 2 before the Heat pulled it out. Just look at the box score of Game 2. The Heat played their best game as a team and OKC didn't.
Don't let Bosh's 6-13 fool you. Most of those shots were putbacks, 6 of them in fact. I'm not hating on Bosh but offensively it was the LeBron and DWade show for the Heat. They shot a combined 20-42 from the field. Miami's Big 3 play well in Game 2, as they should all the time. Shana Battier stayed hot from behind the arc but didn't contribute in any other way. Over Battier's 11 years in the league, he has proven that he isn't that consistent. Battier will need to keep shooting this well in order for the Heat to pull this series out. Defensively, the Heat looked better but throughout the game, we saw that the Thunder found the holes in the Heat defense. Going one step further, it seemed that LeBron was looking for the switch so he would have to get posterized by KD, especially late in the 4th quarter. Go back a watch. I'm sure the game will be replayed on NBA TV. In Game 3, LeBron needs to guard KD all game and make someone else beat them. That is what the great players do, they guard the other teams best player. Larry, Magic, Jordan did it and LeBron must do it. I'm not giving LeBron a pass on the stupid 3 he took with 18 seconds to play. He was 12-12 from the free throw line but he didn't take it to the basket like he had all game.
At the end of the day, OKC missed a lot of shots that they normally make. One could argue that Miami's defense played a part, but the shots the Thunder missed were open shot. OKC's Big 3 did outscore Miami's 80-72 but no one else was able to make shots, unlike in Game 1. If OKC learned anything it has to be that Miami can't stop them. In the first two games of this series, the Heat could hold big leads. Once again in the 4th quarter, the Thunder played beyond their young years and fought their way back into the game. Even in the final 2 minutes, when the Thunder faithful were starting to file out, the Thunder kept fighting and cut the lead to two, 98-96. KD playing with 5 fouls went off in the 4th quarter. He made 7 shots without a miss during OKC's early run to cut the lead to single digits. At times its seemed that the Thunder were going 5 on 3 and put the Heat on their heels. OKC ran the Heat to the point of exhaustion and LeBron should have been called for a foul on KD in the final seconds. How that ref didn't call it is any body's guess. LeBron's body language showed he didn't want any part of KD at that time. KD through caution to the wind and tried to put his team on his back and will them to a win. Say what you want about Westbrook shooting 26 times. He also had 8 boards, 7 ast and only 2 turnovers. Coach Scott Brooks will take that every game from Westbrook so you missed me on that. I will say that Harden needs to stop with all the flopping. Everyone is aware of the flopping problem in the NBA and the refs aren't going to call it. If you are in the NBA then you should be able to guard someone or at least defend them to your help. Its hard for me to respect a guy who only wants to get bailed out by the ref. Going into Game 3, KD, Harden and Westbrook need to do what they have done all year to get to this point. Keep their heads up, keep grinding and play Thunder basketball.
So many times leading up to this Finals series, we heard people say experience beats youth so I ask again, what happens when experience gets tired? Exactly what did happen, OKC made a game out of what should have been a blowout. Give the Thunder credit, they didn't get down on themselves and they played their way back into the game. Once they figure out how to start the game fast and not get down early, Miami will be in trouble and shouldn't win another game. It all comes down to OKC doing what they have done all year and that's KD, Westbrook and Harden doing what they do and the role players knocking down the open shots. The Heat didn't show me anything new. They jumped out to a lead and barely held on for the win. That is not what championship teams look like. Miami will have to duplicate this effort 3 more times and hope the Thunder don't figure out that they must play with a sense of urgency from start to finish. The fact that Scott Brooks is a great coach leads me to believe that the Thunder will figure it out sooner then later and that is all bad for the Heat. My new prediction for this series is OKC in 6. Yep, the Thunder will win 2 of 3 in Miami. Yeah, I said it!
D!
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