LeBron Heats up for Miami

With the Miami Heat leading the NBA Finals 2-1 the series and this season is entering its make-or-break time but where have the Oklahoma City Thunder gone wrong and what have Miami done right?

Only three games in and this Finals series is already turning into one of the most thrilling matchups in years. While LeBron James is slowly winning round his critics only a ring will silence them completely and with some blaming OKC’s two losses to inexperience, there’s plenty to analyse.

Leading by ten points with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter of game three, Dwayne Wade drove baseline. With minimal contact Kevin Durant picked up his fourth foul of the game and was sent to the bench with Russell Westbrook.

The Heat closed the quarter on a 15-3 run and rarely looked back en route to a 91-85 win.

Although Durant’s foul on Wade was debateable his tally of fouls and the quality of them in this series has been far from it. With five personal fouls in games two and three respectively the NBA’s reigning scoring champion is putting his side in trouble defensively.

While many have been impressed by Durant’s improvement on the court since his introduction to the league in 2007, the defensive side of his game is still lacking.

Stupid, unnecessary, unlucky. However you wish to clarify Durant’s fouls in the Finals one thing’s for sure, they aren’t cleaver. Badly timed, poorly executed and un-thought through, his fouls have been problematic and cost his side a win in game three.

“It’s unfortunate I’m getting some fouls called on me,” Durant said following OKC’s loss. “I’ve got to play smarter next game. I hate to sit on the bench with fouls.”

Being “smarter” is the key here. Getting into foul trouble is something that happens throughout the course of a game, especially if you are an aggressive scorer or your defensive assignment is LeBron James.

While KD35 ticks both of these boxes, the greatest players of all-time were cleaver not just offensively but defensively as well and Durant has to be smarter when his side don’t have the ball if they are to have any chance of overcoming Erik Spoelstra’s Miami.

Don’t think OKC’s losses in games two and three lie solely on Durant’s defence though. As he is the team’s leader and best player he will duly take the brunt of the complaints but lets not overlook his teammates contribution.

A disappointing shooting night for James Harden in game three saw him score only eight points off 2 for 10. Meanwhile, Westbrook’s insistence on jump shooting has seen him take an average of 21 shots per game so far in these Finals.

The nine free throws missed in the game three loss only typified the Thunder performance on Sunday night. While the fight was there the luck sure wasn’t but that’s not something OKC will beat themselves up about.

Let’s not undermine what the Heat have done in these Playoff’s so far though. Missing Chris Bosh for large sections of their run in, Miami have disposed of the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics en route to the Finals and they are not about to let up yet.

With the pain of last years NBA Finals still strong in their memories, Miami look as though they have learnt from last year’s defeat and are able to use that as a driving factor this year.

“We carry that pain with us,” said the Heat’s Chris Bosh. “We think about it every day and that really helps us to succeed in this series.”

LBJ received more attention than anyone following his performance in last year’s Finals. Going missing during clutch time and failing on the big shots he did take, LeBron was public enemy number one.

This time round he’s a different man. This time LeBron is untameable. Desperate for a ring, LeBron is not hiding, not settling. He’s attacking OKC’s defence every chance he gets, he’s shot less jump shots than normal but most importantly, he’s taking the big shots and making them.

Although Durant’s numbers appear to state otherwise, LeBron is also dominant on defence. Switching between Durant and Harden, James has shown collectiveness never before seen in him this late in the season.

If he stays as aggressive as he has been it is hard to see how the Thunder will stop him. Of course, it is not beyond LeBron to stop himself. If he settles for long-range jumpers the series could very quickly swing back in favour of Oklahoma.

For the Thunder, they must address a number of issues before game four tips off on Tuesday night. Firstly, they must look to take full advantage of their running game. When they hit full stride it is difficult for anyone (including a versatile Miami side) to match the Thunder in their athletic ability.

Secondly, in relation to point number one, Westbrook must be the head of the team’s offense. Rather than shooting over 20 shots a night, Westbrook must look to run the offence, leading the side on fast-breaks and setting up an offence when the pressure is on them to make a bucket.

If he can do so, the Thunder’s chances of scoring consistently will rocket along with their chances of becoming the second-youngest team to ever win an NBA championship.

Finally, OKC’s veterans must help guide Durant and Westbrook more. While they are phenomenal talents in their own rights, these are the NBA Finals where the pressure is a little harder to handle.

Kendrick Perkins and Derek Fisher are the only player’s on the Thunder roster to have previous experience in the Finals and they must be looking to stress the importance of scoring regularly on such a big stage.

“We have to realize we’re in the NBA Finals,” said Perkins after the 91-85 loss to Miami. ”It’s not like this was the first game of the series. It’s the third game. It’s just about playing basketball. There’s no excuse for what we did down the stretch.”

The sooner they get back to playing Thunder basketball, the sooner we can get back to enjoying an evenly matched series.

Bring on game four.