My 10 favorite Thunder plays from Game 1 of the NBA Finals:
1. Early in the fourth quarter, the Thunder up 76-73, Russell Westbrook made a great feed to Kevin Durant for an open 3-pointer. KD’s shot bounced off, but Nick Collison flew in to tip out the rebound, Derek Fisher got the ball out front and fired a bullet pass to Thabo Sefolosha under the basket for a layup.
2. Despite getting back into the game quickly in the third quarter, the Thunder never had led, still trailing 73-71 in the final minute of the third quarter. But after a switch, the Heat had Mike Miller in the tenuous position of guarding Kevin Durant. So Miami compensated with everyone seemingly hedging to help Miller. So Westbrook drove the lane, switched to his left hand and dropped in a layup while being fouled by Miller. Westbrook sank the foul shot to give OKC a 74-73 lead.
3. With the Thunder down 60-58 early in the third quarter, Durant had the ball on the deep wing. Kendrick Perkins, in the lane, laid his sights on LeBron and sped toward the Heat superstar. Perk looked like a blitzing linebacker chasing a quarterback. He caught LeBron with a solid screen, freeing Durant to attack. KD then fed Sefolosha for a layup that tied the game 60-60.
4. The Thunder didn’t trail by 15 points, like it did in Game 6 against the Spurs, but OKC was down seven at halftime. And just like against San Antonio, the Thunder opened the second half in style â€" with a Durant 3-pointer. But this one was extra special. It came off a Serge Ibaka penetration and kick-out. It’s got to be Ibaka’
5. Early second quarter, the Heat up 11, Durant brought up the ball and threw a lazy pass that LeBron intercepted. LeBron was off to the races for a breakaway dunk, with only Durant in the territory. As LeBron soared toward the basket, Durant looked ready to challenge, then dropped his arms and let LeBron have the flush. It cost the Thunder two points and gave Miami a 37-24 lead. But it showed that Durant’s head was in the game. He already had picked up a foul early in the first quarter. No reason to get a second 15 minutes into the game. Durant showed wisdom by backing off.
6. The Heat was within 84-81, midway through the fourth quarter, and Westbrook missed a jumpshot. But Collison again flew through to tip out the rebound. Westbrook recovered the ball, hit Durant for an open 3-pointer and the Thunder was back up 87-81. Miami never was within one possession again.
7. Late second quarter, Ibaka took the ball and put it on the floor. We didn’t see much of that during the season or even in the early rounds of the playoffs. But Ibaka is getting better and better as a player. Ibaka drove the ball and laid in a two-foot shot. The basket brought OKC within 54-45, and Ibaka provided 10 first-half points.
8. Sefolosha played superb defense in the second half on LeBron James. LeBron knew what he was in for early in the third quarter. Thabo knocked down a simple pass from LeBron back to the point and chased down the ball. Two possessions later, Thabo did the same to Udonis Haslem. Thabo’s active hands and quick feet became one of the dominant themes of the second half.
9. This was still a game with 21/2 minutes left. The Heat had drawn within 93-87. But Durant drove to the basket and drew a foul. There’s not much more automatic than KD on the foul line. His two foul shots restored the Thunder’s eight-point lead and showed that OKC was going to stay aggressive.
10. With five minutes left and the Thunder up 89-83, the Heat decides to move LeBron James onto Russell Westbrook. Seemed like a decent maneuver by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. But I loved the way the Thunder responded. With Dwyane Wade on Durant, the Thunder ran a little play that wasn’t fancy but got Durant the ball on the wing, where he lifted a 20-foot shot over the shorter Wade. Swish.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
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