Miami or Oklahoma City?

[44cuse]

Everyone is waiting for Lebron to have a bad playoff game in order to pounce. Is tonight the night? This just feels like a game where the Thunder come out on fire and hit everything. Thunder 105 Heat 91

Let 'em continue to look stupid. It's humorous.

44cuse

 

[samspann1]

Everyone is waiting for Lebron to have a bad playoff game in order to pounce. Is tonight the night? This just feels like a game where the Thunder come out on fire and hit everything. Thunder 105 Heat 91

Nope. Heat by 15 tonight. This series ends in Miami.

 

[samspann1]

Durant was pretty bad in the 4th tonight, but lol @ the officiating.

Phantom fouls on Durant, guys throwing the ball off the back of the backboard. Either call it both ways, or let the guys play.

At least they didn't call goaltending on a shot that was below the level of the rim, as in Game 2

 

[skurey]

Durant with another clutch performance

 

[44cuse]

Durant with another clutch performance

You know who's clutch? Kobe Bryant.

This season's playoffs shooting with 2:00 or less, down by three or less, shooting to tie or take the lead in the 4th quarter or OT:

0-6.

44cuse

 

[NineOneSeven]

Durant was pretty bad in the 4th tonight, but lol @ the officiating.

Phantom fouls on Durant, guys throwing the ball off the back of the backboard. Either call it both ways, or let the guys play.

At least they didn't call goaltending on a shot that was below the level of the rim, as in Game 2

Stop. Tell me, where were these phantom fouls on Durant? The one where he blatantly held Lebron going through a screen, the one where he obviously slid under him as Lebron avoided contact for the and 1?

Lebron threw the ball off the bottom of the back of the backboard (according to Van Gundy) which is indeed out of play , in real time it was tough to see and it's a 50-50 call.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Durant having a hard time guarding the freight train. I don't know who u can put on him. I think u have to put Sef on him and make him work.

Still think OKC is in great shape. Durante needs to demand the ball. Lebron is due for a bad playoff game soon...right?

 

[samspann1]

Stop. Tell me, where were these phantom fouls on Durant? The one where he blatantly held Lebron going through a screen, the one where he obviously slid under him as Lebron avoided contact for the and 1?

Lebron threw the ball off the bottom of the back of the backboard (according to Van Gundy) which is indeed out of play , in real time it was tough to see and it's a 50-50 call.

The 4th foul call was a joke. He had to sit out the rest of the 3rd quarter, and watch a 6-point lead turn into a 2-point deficit. The block was a 50/50 call...well. more like 10/90, if Lebron James is on the other end.

As far as the backboard play, James was falling out of bounds, behind the basket. What did the refs think the ball deflect off? It's really too bad that blatant missed calls such as this one, and the "goaltend" against OKC in Game 2, are impacting the outcome of games in the NBA Finals.

On another note, Durant is a legitimate superstar. Why doesn't he get love from the officials?

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Lebron offensive touches inside paint: 19
Durant offensive touches inside paint: 6

I would say thats part of the problem right there. He is such a good jump shooter than sometimes he settles.

 

[Knicks411]

I thought the block was absolutely a block. He got there late.

At first i thought he clearly came down on Wade for the 4th foul. Then I looked at it again; not so sure. But it seems to me there is no way the 5th foul was anything but a block.

On another note, Durant is a legitimate superstar. Why doesn't he get love from the officials?

Well he was third in the league in FTA, and he got so much love in the past he was basically the reason they decided that rip through move wasn't a shooting foul. Seems like he has been more on the short end this series though.

 

[MikeSU02]

Well he was third in the league in FTA, and he got so much love in the past he was basically the reason they decided that rip through move wasn't a shooting foul. Seems like he has been more on the short end this series though.

I still think OKC has a good shot in this series. They have lost both games by a combined 10 points and have been abysmal from the FT line, while Battier is turning into Larry Bird from three. I think that OKC will take the next one as Battier will regress back to closer to his average and OKC will knock down a few more from the FT line.

Durant needs to do a better job of not getting cheap fouls early. He has to learn to giving up two points to let him be on the court for an additional 5-7 minutes a game is fine. He has to get his rhythm going MUCH earlier. He needs to knock back Miami onto their heels from the get go.

Finally, I think this series is a commentary on Wade more than anyone else. Lebron is doing Lebron things (which means doing amazing things). OKC looks good, but are making expected young mistakes (just like the young bulls, young pistons, etc), but Wade looks old. I honestly think that Bosh may be the second most important player on the team because he is a big who can give Lebron space by hitting those outside shots and being able to drive on his own.

 

[Ward]

The 4th foul call was a joke. He had to sit out the rest of the 3rd quarter, and watch a 6-point lead turn into a 2-point deficit. The block was a 50/50 call...well. more like 10/90, if Lebron James is on the other end.

As far as the backboard play, James was falling out of bounds, behind the basket. What did the refs think the ball deflect off? It's reallyE too bad that blatant missed calls such as this one, and the "goaltend" against OKC in Game 2, are impacting the outcome of games in the NBA Finals.

On another note, Durant is a legitimate superstar. Why doesn't he get love from the officials?

The Durant fourth foul while cheap is called pretty much every time. He fell for the pump fake, left his feet, Wade went up and initiated contact while his man was coming down. It looks like a foul even if you barely get your guy, and if it looks like a foul the refs anticipate it. I agree the fourth foul changed the outlook of the game. Durant needs to be more disciplined on defense. All series he's fell for LeBron and Wade head fakes. Late in the fourth Harden was defending LeBron in the post and didn't fall for fakes and kept his ground played straight up and stopped him.

Are you sure the lead actually going from 10 to 2 wasn't because of Brooks sitting Westbrook and Durant at the same time for the last chunk of the 3rd, or the Thunder fouling 2 consecutive Heat 3 point shooters when the team as a whole shot literally less than 20% from outside the paint?

They missed the backboard call, but if you're trying to say a missed out of bounds call with around 10 mins to go is what cost the Thunder, again and not their 3 or 4 turnovers when it was a one possession game late? Then we may have to agree to disagree.

The charge was a blatant block. Lebron went at Durant outside shoulder to avoid contact, Durant never stayed set and kept sliding underneath him. Pretty black and white.

The series is far, far from over. Right now the thunder look like a young team who is in the finals for the first time. Meanwhile the heat are playing like a team who was humiliated a year ago on the same stage and are focused on not letting it happen again. Plenty of time for both sides approach to change.

 

[RF2044]

The Durant fourth foul while cheap is called pretty much every time. He fell for the pump fake, left his feet, Wade went up and initiated contact while his man was coming down. It looks like a foul even if you barely get your guy, and if it looks like a foul the refs anticipate it. I agree the fourth foul changed the outlook of the game. Durant needs to be more disciplined on defense. All series he's fell for LeBron and Wade head fakes. Late in the fourth Harden was defending LeBron in the post and didn't fall for fakes and kept his ground played straight up and stopped him.

Are you sure the lead actually going from 10 to 2 wasn't because of Brooks sitting Westbrook and Durant at the same time for the last chunk of the 3rd, or the Thunder fouling 2 consecutive Heat 3 point shooters when the team as a whole shot literally less than 20% from outside the paint?

They missed the backboard call, but if you're trying to say a missed out of bounds call with around 10 mins to go is what cost the Thunder, again and not their 3 or 4 turnovers when it was a one possession game late? Then we may have to agree to disagree.

The charge was a blatant block. Lebron went at Durant outside shoulder to avoid contact, Durant never stayed set and kept sliding underneath him. Pretty black and white.

The series is far, far from over. Right now the thunder look like a young team who is in the finals for the first time. Meanwhile the heat are playing like a team who was humiliated a year ago on the same stage and are focused on not letting it happen again. Plenty of time for both sides approach to change.

Good post. OKC blew a big opportunity yesterday in the third quarter.

 

[44cuse]

The Durant fourth foul while cheap is called pretty much every time. He fell for the pump fake, left his feet, Wade went up and initiated contact while his man was coming down. It looks like a foul even if you barely get your guy, and if it looks like a foul the refs anticipate it. I agree the fourth foul changed the outlook of the game. Durant needs to be more disciplined on defense. All series he's fell for LeBron and Wade head fakes. Late in the fourth Harden was defending LeBron in the post and didn't fall for fakes and kept his ground played straight up and stopped him.

Are you sure the lead actually going from 10 to 2 wasn't because of Brooks sitting Westbrook and Durant at the same time for the last chunk of the 3rd, or the Thunder fouling 2 consecutive Heat 3 point shooters when the team as a whole shot literally less than 20% from outside the paint?

They missed the backboard call, but if you're trying to say a missed out of bounds call with around 10 mins to go is what cost the Thunder, again and not their 3 or 4 turnovers when it was a one possession game late? Then we may have to agree to disagree.

The charge was a blatant block. Lebron went at Durant outside shoulder to avoid contact, Durant never stayed set and kept sliding underneath him. Pretty black and white.

The series is far, far from over. Right now the thunder look like a young team who is in the finals for the first time. Meanwhile the heat are playing like a team who was humiliated a year ago on the same stage and are focused on not letting it happen again. Plenty of time for both sides approach to change.

Very good post. Neither team could really take care of the ball during that stretch. Part of it was good defense, but part of it was poor execution (ie: LeBron rifling that pass through Bosh who was wide open down low).

44cuse

 

[NineOneSeven]

The Durant fourth foul while cheap is called pretty much every time. He fell for the pump fake, left his feet, Wade went up and initiated contact while his man was coming down. It looks like a foul even if you barely get your guy, and if it looks like a foul the refs anticipate it. I agree the fourth foul changed the outlook of the game. Durant needs to be more disciplined on defense. All series he's fell for LeBron and Wade head fakes. Late in the fourth Harden was defending LeBron in the post and didn't fall for fakes and kept his ground played straight up and stopped him.

Are you sure the lead actually going from 10 to 2 wasn't because of Brooks sitting Westbrook and Durant at the same time for the last chunk of the 3rd, or the Thunder fouling 2 consecutive Heat 3 point shooters when the team as a whole shot literally less than 20% from outside the paint?

They missed the backboard call, but if you're trying to say a missed out of bounds call with around 10 mins to go is what cost the Thunder, again and not their 3 or 4 turnovers when it was a one possession game late? Then we may have to agree to disagree.

The charge was a blatant block. Lebron went at Durant outside shoulder to avoid contact, Durant never stayed set and kept sliding underneath him. Pretty black and white.

The series is far, far from over. Right now the thunder look like a young team who is in the finals for the first time. Meanwhile the heat are playing like a team who was humiliated a year ago on the same stage and are focused on not letting it happen again. Plenty of time for both sides approach to change.

Would you just look at that!

A reasonable, well-thought out, factual post. Thank you.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

I think the Ibaka comments get in Lebron's head tonight. Time for the Thunder to play like the Thunder... 101-85

Miami seems to take their foot of the gas when their backs are not against the wall.

 

[RF2044]

I think the Ibaka comments get in Lebron's head tonight. Time for the Thunder to play like the Thunder... 101-85

Miami seems to take their foot of the gas when their backs are not against the wall.

If OKC doesn't win tonight, they are toast. Need to bounce back, because 3-1 is an insurmountable hole against miami.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Scott Brooks has to play Sef on Bron...let Durant focus on offense only so he can score 35. Also, less Ibaka/Perkins and more Collison/Harden and smaller lineup... never play 2 bigs against Miami. They are begging for that lineup.

 

[Knicks411]

If OKC doesn't win tonight, they are toast. Need to bounce back, because 3-1 is an insurmountable hole against miami.

Hey, OKC won 4 in a row against the Spurs. They could win 3 in a row against Miami, with 2 at home. Wouldn't bet on it, of course.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

MIA laying 3.5 pts tonight. Thunder seem like a really really nice bet tonight... good money line play as well. Where is Upstate!!!?? Lets ride the Thunder

 

[samspann1]

Heat by 15

 

[RF2044]

Heat by 15

Heat down 15 after first quarter.

 

[samspann1]

Plenty of time.

Plus, Wade is hurt, so that should help Miami. The brilliant minds here say he's a bum

 

[longislandcuse]

Refs need to calm the f down. Some seriously shady calls on OKC right now.

 

[orangepassion]

This is the worst-reffed series I have ever seen. I am looking forward to reading about the investigation down the road. Every time a Miami player drives and someone is near him, they call a foul and OKC can't buy a foul.