NBA Playoffs 2012 Running thread

I'm not ready to write the Heat's obituary just yet. This is about the 10th time in the last two seasons that people have decided that they are down for the count. It happened last year when Chicago blew them out in Game 1. It happened when the Pacers blew them out in a playoff game. And it certainly happened when the Celtics blew their doors off in Miami in Game 5.

This was Game 1, in Oklahoma City.

Let's wait and see what happens.

 

OKC, six days rest. Miami, three days rest.

 

As much as I loved last night's outcome, anyone writing Miami off already is crazy...

It was still a great win for OKC.

 

The thing that strikes me is that the Heat had a phenomenal jump-shooting night and it wasn't enough. And they aren't going to hit that many every night.

I'm not writing them off, but they need to make some major adjustments or OKC is just going to run all over them.

 

To me, not showing up means being passive. That wasn't LeBron in the fourth quarter. He was aggressive, and while he made some plays for Miami, he also missed some shots he is capable of making. Credit OKC's defense too. And just because he didn't have a great quarter like Durant did doesn't mean he didn't show up.

I'm not a fan or hater of either team. I'm excited about the match up and hope it goes seven. But the volume of comments like yours are why I want to see LeBron win it.

 

I always wonder on nights like that if starting so hot from long range is ultimately a bad thing. It makes inconsistent shooting teams like Miami trust jumpers more than it should.

 

Very good win by OKC. They seemed much more aggressive attacking the rim and getting to loose balls in the second half than they did in the first.

Miami looked -- I don't want to say confused -- out of sorts, I guess, on offense for much of the second half. The Thunder had trouble stopping the ball or pushing the ballhandler to the wings early on, but they eventually managed to stop James from getting a head of steam to the basket.

James had what, seven points in the fourth? It's very difficult to try to pin the loss on LeBron, because he played pretty well ... pretty close to as well as Durant (30 points/9 reb/4ast/4stl vs. 36/8/4/0), based on the stat line.

But forget about the seven points -- that can happen. LeBron took only five shots in the fourth quarter. After the way he blasted the Celtics in Games 6 and 7, I thought he'd be more assertive in the fourth, especially since it was clear he was having the best game of anyone on the Heat roster.

I'm not sure if the Thunder switched up their strategy on him defensively. But if they did, it's on Spoelstra to start having James take the ball upcourt instead of Chalmers. The Heat needed the ball in James' hands and either they didn't get it to him, or he didn't take charge enough.

Durant, on the other hand, scored 17 in the fourth and absolutely took over the game. And the Thunder wisely rode him to the victory.

This series is far from over, though. I expect the Heat to make adjustments (maybe getting in more than seven guys? They looked a little tired in the fourth).

 

Looking a little further at the numbers, perhaps I'm a little off in regards to LeBron's lack of aggressiveness. He accounted for five of the Heat's 17 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter (29 percent). He averaged about six shots per quarter during the first three quarters and accounted for 24 of the Heat's 78 field-goal attempts for the game (30 percent). So I guess he really just continued what he had been doing all game.

That said, Durant turned on the afterburners in the fourth quarter and took the game on his shoulders. Perhaps it was more the contrast of the two that made LeBron look so passive, even though he was doing what he had been doing all game long.

 

Me and Lawrence Tanter agree with you wholeheartedly.

 

Give LeBron the ball anywhere near the top of the key and he can drive, he'll either hit a driving layup and be fouled or be fouled on a miss. Do that 10 times in row in the 4th quarter and he'll score 20 points.

If he can't or won't do that he can't dictate the game result.

 

Not true. Give him the ball in transition or with some sort of momentum or running start, and LeBron can do what you say. Isolate him at the top of the key and it's not automatic that he'll make a layup or get fouled. I seem to remember a certain possession when he was isolated at the top of the key, guarded by Rondo. Pretty sure he didn't make a layup or get fouled. And he's done that several times. He seems timid, even when he's got a distinct size advantage, which is almost always.

Get him some momentum, and he can, though. Which is weird. But true.

 

Why is that weird? It seems obvious to me that it's going to be a lot harder to stop someone with momentum as opposed to someone trying to make a drive from a full stop. That's the way it is for everyone, not just LeBron.