Hoops Nation

The Thunder took the win in Game 1 over the Heat. They remain undefeated at home, which is awarded as luck for them. The Heat and Thunder took Game 2 in Oklahoma City. Chris Bosh took the start for the Heat tonight. Kevin Durant and the Thunder try to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Miami for Games 3, 4, and 5. Let’s see which team took the win tonight.

First Quarter
The first big play of the first quarter was a block by Serge Ibaka on Dwyane Wade, with less than eight minutes left in the first period. The Miami heat surged with a 13-2 lead with six minutes left in the first quarter. Shane Battier hit a three to give the Heat a 16-2 lead. LeBron James hit a clean hook shot down on the block to push their lead to 16. The Thunder made a three to cut the lead to 13, but the Heat answered back with a basket to put their lead back up to 15, 20-5. Westbrook got fouled by Battier and Westbrook split his free throws for his first point of the game. Harden hits a shot for his sixth and seventh points to cut the Heat lead down to 13. James Harden hit both of his free throws to cut the Heat lead down to 12 with 25 seconds left in the quarter. The first period ended after LeBron missed a dunk and Derek Fisher took a go-ahead three with time running down, but he missed it. The Heat led the Thunder by 12, 27-15. LeBron scored eight points and grabbed one rebound. James Harden scored 10 points and also grabbed one rebound.

Second Quarter
After Norris Cole made his layup, Derek Fisher hit a three to bring the Heat lead down to 14. The Heat kept the lead at 12, 44-32, with 4:26 left in the first half. LeBron pushed the lead back up to 14 with a driving made layup in the basket. Mario Chalmers pushed the lead to 17, which was the largest lead of the first half for either team, with a made three point jumper. The Thunder hit a three of their own to cut the lead down to 14. Russell Westbrook got fouled and made both his free throws to further cut the lead down to 12, once again. LeBron got Serge Ibaka on the jump stop and fake to hit a shot off the backboard. Russell Westbrook got fouled with 11.1 seconds left in the first half. Westbrook missed his first free throw, but made his second free throw to, yet again, bring the lead down to 12, 55-43. The Heat held the ball for the last shot of the quarter. LeBron James passed it to Chris Bosh, but Bosh missed the shot from down low on the block. The half ended with the Heat leading by 12, 55-43. LeBron’s totals at the half were 14 points, one rebound, and one assists. James Harden’s totals were 17 points, two rebounds, and one assist.

Second Half
The Thunder made a better effort in the third quarter but only outscored the Heat by one. LeBron James went for 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Russell Westbrook was the one making the shots in the third for the Thunder as he totaled 18 points, four rebounds, and five assists, by the end of the third quarter. At the end of three, the Heat led the Thunder by 11, 78-67. The fourth quarter was quite of a thriller. The Heat led the Thunder by four, 90-86, with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter. Towards the end of the game, Kevin Durant was fouled by LeBron James, but controversially, the foul was not called. The Heat won the game by four, 100-96, and tie up the NBA Finals series.

Oklahoma City Thunder Top Performers
James Harden scored 21 points on 7-11 shooting. Russell Westbrook tallied in 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kevin Durant scored 32 points on 12-22 shooting.

Miami Heat Top Performers
Chris Bosh recorded a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Shane Battier scored 17 points on 6-8 shooting. Dwyane Wade recorded 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists. LeBron James tallied in 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

What to Dwell On?
Can the Heat close out the Thunder with the next three games in Miami?