[HaleParticipant]

Is there any doubt LeBron and Durant are by far the 2 best players in the NBA? Talk about amazing.

Can D-Wade go one game without massively sucking for a large portion of it? He needs the criticism Westbrook has been getting.

Westbrook played well despite not scoring.

Is Bosh still hurt or can he just do nothing against these guys (scoring wise)?

Can Battier keep shooting this hot for 3 more games (if needed)?

Can we talk about the real goat of this series? JAMES HARDEN.

40.7% FG 11.7 ppg 33% 3pt

Thabo really showing those who didn’t know how elite he is on the perimeter.

[ChewyParticipant]

Sitting Durant (4 fouls), Westbrook, Perkins and Ibaka for the last 4 minutes of the 3rd and let a 10 point lead turn into a 2 point deficit to start the 4th quarter.

[bad boysParticipant]

they way they blew the call in game 2. This game 2 bad calls on durant and putting him out for half the 3rd quarter

[HaleParticipant]

Also forgot to add:

Every single time Miami switches on D and Wade ends up on Durant, Durant scores. Spo needs to really find a way to limit that happening.

[ChewyParticipant]

In one of the replays you can clearly see Durant say to Wade "Your too small"

[NickWayne87Participant]

 i’m not a fan of either team but wouldn’t mind seeing either lebron or durant get their first ring…….but there’s questionable calls in EVERY SINGLE GAME of basketball that’s played in the NBA the wost one in this game to me was that PHANTOM FOUL on james harden to wade in the first quarter but there was really only a handful of them in this game far less than alot of games…..it’s only maginified because it’s the finals and most of you seem to HATE the heat and lebron and don’t want to see them succeed at getting a championship forming their team this way.

[HaleParticipant]

 It’s true. I’ve been hard on Wade for years (including today), but it’s not even his fault he can’t guard KD. He really is just too small. Miami needs to avoid that switch.

[Toronto16Participant]

 Durant is unguardable, so the refs keep taking him out the game

[NickWayne87Participant]

offensively skilled basketball player that’s walking this planet right now.

[HaleParticipant]

 It’s absurd how good he’s shooting. 35/61 so far (57%) compared to only 32/69 (46%) for LeBron so far.

[rickybobbyParticipant]

 The foul calls in this game and the series inparticular to me have been very inconsistent going both ways imo. With great defense being played on Durant he’s shooting 57% on only about 20 shots a game thats crazy he needs the ball more.

Everyone talks about how Westbrooks shoots too much and doesnt get Durant or anyone else the ball im starting to notice the same thing about Harden of late. He’s always been a guy who balanced scoring and getting shots for others well, but recently he only been hunting his own shot and its hurting the team alot. Especially in tonites game he was constintently driving or dribbling looking only to score, making the offense more stagnant while commiting more turnovers. 

For OKC to turn things around

1. Thabo needs to gaurd Lebron from the start and Westbrook needs to do the same with Wade.  

2. Get Durant "MORE" shots the kid is killing but is being limited by his own team he can easily get 40 with his great shooting. Point blank period Durant needs to be more aggressive and his teammates need to do a better job of getting him the ball. 

3. Harden needs to become the facilitaing scorer again not just the scorer.

4. Play together the whole game on offense and defense starting in the 1st quarter not the 3rd.

The Heat are playing some of their best basketball as a team since they came together and are still struggling against a Thunder team who has yet to play a complete game or even two good quarters back to back. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Battier has turned into the perfect “fourth guy” for the Heat. He is dialed in from deep and is playing, smart, tough, inspired ball.
Only had 3 boards but I felt like he boxed out well. It feels like he has either scored or made a good play every time he has touched the ball
this series.

LeBron is LOCKED in. Taking it to that Jordan-Hakeem-Bird level. 29 and 14 on the heels of two 30 point games is nasty. He’s just plain getting it done.

Ironically, D Wade not being 100% might be helping the Heat. It is allowing LeBron to be the man and do whatever he wants. It’s LBJ’s team and Wade is playing the role of the great sidekick. I thought that his series would come down to which team abs the better sidekick — OKC with Westbrook or the Heat with Wade. Westbrook has seemingly been battling Durant to be the alpha dog, while Wade is deferring more. Wade is playing his role perfectly even though he has appeared sluggish at times and has been bricking some jumpers.

Bosh has been solid. He is a low key guy along with Battier and I think those guys really balance out LeBron and Wade who are superstars and act that way. Then you have the young, fiesty Mario Chalmers (who can’t find the range and looks rattled) balanced out by Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, two classy vets who are quietly giving it their all. It seems like each guy not only knows his role on the court but also brings just the right emotional element (and leadership) to the game. It really feels like a team and not just a collection of egos.

LeBron, Wade, Durant, and Westbrook have seemed to take their games in this Finals to another level. James Harden, on the other hand has not. He played well in the game 2 loss but struggles in games 1 and 3. Appears to be a very good player and perhaps even an all-star one day, but maybe not a superstar. He always relies on his smarts and craftiness but I now wonder if he that is enough to get it done in the playoffs. He’s not known as an explosive athlete anyway, so maybe he lacks that extra gear that James, Wade, Durant, and Westbrook have. Harden is a great third option, but he might not be anything more than that, or at least not yet Asa member of a contending team.

If Chalmers continues to struggle I wonder if the Heat will elect to not play a traditional point guard at all. Just use LeBron as a point forward with Wade in the backcourt, Bosh inside along with Battier and Miller/Haslem. Mike Miller played well tonight before he got in foul trouble. I thought the Heat needed two good games out of him so if he has another good one at home I think the Heat go back to OKC up 3-2 (at worst).

Finally, both teams look great but each could improve some. The Thunder could use a legit pass-first point guard who would allow Westbrook to play more at the 2. And they could also use another big man inside, especially if they try to move Perkins or if they fail to resign Ibaka — who basically disappeared tonight. The Heat could use a legit center. Fab Melo or Festus Ezeli would be nice. I think coach Spo has lost all confidence in Joel Anthony even though the Heat could use his shot blocking skills in the rest of this series. Ideally, they would also get some point guard depth especially if Chalmers and Norris Cole fail to improve. If Teague falls they could a look at him. Or a riskier pick in Tony Wroten if he is available. Wroten is not a shooter but he is long, tall, and can handle the ball. A perimeter attack of LeBron, Wade, and Wroten would be intriguing.

[benny15Participant]

i dont know if its just me, but when i watched the game earlier, i saw OKC try to go to Durant more often but couldnt due to the exceptional ball denial defense lebron has been making on him. and when westbrook tries to make the pass to durant but cant since the passing lane is closed, he goes attack mode almost right away. it wasnt that the thunder didnt want to give durant the ball, it was just  that the heat D dictated that they try to get the ball to others to beat them.

i believe brooks needs to make the adjustment by getting the ball down quicker and setting up 2 or maybe even 3 passes before it gets to durant just so that it throws what miami is trying to do out of the equation. im most likely gona get negged for this, but i do believe that Spoelstra out coached Brooks with miami’s defensive strategy to the thunders offensive power.

[Author]

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