[grokit]

After being questioned three times on whether or not he felt contact on that shot, Durant said the bottom line was that he missed it:
 
"Durant declined to say whether he felt contact.

"I missed the shot, man," he said after being asked three different times by reporters if there should have been a foul."

 

[Radio_head]

Classy.  Many other players would have said "I felt it was a foul but... what are you gonna do, them's the breaks and you can't dwell on should have been" type quotes.  Durant doesn't give excuses.  I like that.  

 

[grokit]

Now THAT was a basketball game! The talking heads said that the Thunder gave it away in the third quarter, but I disagree. It was a one-point game with 90 seconds left, that's where Miami won it. Neither team "gave it away", they both played great.
 
Two more games down there, the Heat stealing home court in game two could prove to be the series if they can hold it. Then again, they were up 2-1 against the Mavs last year so anything can happen.

 

[J W]

I still think OKC wins one in Miami.
 
And I disagree slightly, Grokit: OKC lost this game at the charity stripe. OKC is up 3-0 in the series if they shoot like they should from the free throw line. I don't know if it's nerves or what. Whatever it is, Miami seems unaffected.

 

[grokit]

Magic Johnson said it best: LeBron wasn't going to let his team lose and he played like it, again. As great of a scorer as Durant is, he's up against the League MVP. You may be right, OKC could win one in Miami but I don't think it will be enough. My guess is that whoever goes 2/3 (or better obviously) down there takes the series. It would be great if it gets to a seventh game though!

 

[OJNeg]

Quote:

I still think OKC wins one in Miami.
 
And I disagree slightly, Grokit: OKC lost this game at the charity stripe. OKC is up 3-0 in the series if they shoot like they should from the free throw line. I don't know if it's nerves or what. Whatever it is, Miami seems unaffected.

 
Yep. You can't shoot that terribly from the line in the playoffs and hope to win. OKC practically threw Game 3 away with all the missed FTs.

 

[grokit]

It was still anybody's game with 90 seconds left. IMO that's all that really matters besides the fact that Durant needs to stay out of foul trouble.

 

[OJNeg]

Quote:

It was still anybody's game with 90 seconds left. IMO that's all that really matters.

 


Sure, but if OKC makes their free throws, then now they're in a much better position to win the game at the end. Making it a 1 possession game instead of a 2-3 possession game is what makes all the difference if you're trying to catch up, or hold a team off.

 

[grokit]

I get your points, but I think that there's too many variable to say that absolutely. OKC didn't miss any free throws during that last 90 seconds, they missed open shots and couldn't stop Miami without fouling. They did miss five more free throws than Miami, but they also sent Miami to the line 11 times more. And the margin was six anyways, so even if they had made five more free throws in that analysis, the margin of victory would have still been one. But I don't think we can say that with any certainty either, because the free throw disparity was in the third quarter, not down the stretch. Bottom line is that Miami made more shots whether it was from the line or not. OKC did shoot better than Miami from the field but they couldn't stop fouling on defense.
 
Edit: I suppose it's like a "butterfly effect" to me; if OKC had made more free throws in the third quarter, the dynamic of the game changes; it seems very unlikely that the rest of the game would have gone exactly the same way.

 

[Radio_head]

Durant played fine and they benched him for only about 4 minutes of play.  It could argued those minutes were crucial but with the depth this team has, other players should have stepped up.
 
Harden played terrible.  9 points on 2-10, 0-4 from three.  Got some free throws but missed a couple of those too.
 
Ibaka also didn't play like he could and should.  Lebron had as many offensive rebounds as Ibaka had total rebounds.  Perkins played well but Brooks only played Ibaka ~20 minutes, which is a huge mistake (unless there's a health issue the public isn't privy to.)
 
I don't know how much longer Lebron can play at this level with these minutes.  An off night for him would mean a blowout.  He seems to know that and is shooting less (that's how he ends up with "off nights," when he's cold from the field) and attacking the rim more, which for him results in either baskets or free throws.

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

Durant played fine and they benched him for only about 4 minutes of play.  It could argued those minutes were crucial but with the depth this team has, other players should have stepped up.
 
Harden played terrible.  9 points on 2-10, 0-4 from three.  Got some free throws but missed a couple of those too.
 
Ibaka also didn't play like he could and should.  Lebron had as many offensive rebounds as Ibaka had total rebounds.  Perkins played well but Brooks only played Ibaka ~20 minutes, which is a huge mistake (unless there's a health issue the public isn't privy to.)
 
I don't know how much longer Lebron can play at this level with these minutes.  An off night for him would mean a blowout.  He seems to know that and is shooting less (that's how he ends up with "off nights," when he's cold from the field) and attacking the rim more, which for him results in either baskets or free throws.

 
You basically read my mind.  Harden can't shoot that poorly, being one of the "big three" for OKC.  2-10 is unconscionable.  Where were Ibaka, Fisher and Sefolosha?  They need big points too.  The best free throw shooting team in the league shooting 62% on free throws for the game?  Not acceptable.  Too many turnovers, not enough points in the paint.  I personally feel that OKC's "big three" match up with the Heat's "big three" most of the time, so a lot of it comes down to which team has better bench play.  That said, Harden needs to play better, be more aggressive and drive to the rim, even if it means sacrificing his body and picking up those foul calls.
 
I'm still not sure why Scott Brooks is starting Perkins when the Heat are basically starting with four guards.  I'm also wondering why Collison isn't getting more floor time.  He's an untapped resource in my opinion.

 

[DGriff0400]

i want a good series (all the way to game 7) but if miami doesnt win it in 6 i dont think they will in 7 and i want miami to win,lol

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Yeah it wasn't just the freethrows. There was a ton of baskets that Harden should have made. They played great 3rd quarter, but it just wasn't their night. I'm glad Westbrook "didn't change" his gameplan. He did good last night. It looks like it's going to go to Game 7, I was really hoping that it'll end at Game 6 for OKC. still, anything can happen.

 

[grokit]

Even though Harden only had 9 points, Bosh only had 10; he had 11 rebounds to Harden's 6 but Harden had 6 assists so third wheel-wise it was a wash. Agreed that Collison was very effective and deserved more minutes, he had two more fouls to give after all. Perkins was rock-steady as usual.
 
Things could definitely change, but right now it looks like the Heat against the Mavs last year with the roles reversed. Meaning that Miami is playing like they've "been here before" and the Thunder seem a bit overwhelmed by the moment (with the exception of Fisher and Perkins but let's face it, they're role players). Youth vs. experience and all that, including the coach.
 
On James:
"He’s just totally a different player," Miami’s Dwyane Wade said. "Up until the Finals last year, he was having an amazing playoffs. He had a game where he struggled and he kind of let that get into his mind a little bit – and he was thinking too much.
“Now he’s playing. He’s on attack. When he puts his head down to go to the rim, you have no other choice but to foul him or he’s going to finish."
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--thunder-can-t-match-the-resolve-or-hunger-of-lebron-james-and-the-heat.html;_ylt=AlJbilT68OS35uilv.CmtKK8vLYF
 
I don't have a horse in this race, as a Lakers fan it feels like Fisher against Riley lol. I feel like I should be rooting for the Thunder, but I find myself rooting for LeBron to get his redemption; if the Thunder lose they will almost certainly be back, while if the Heat lose it could be the end for this bunch. It could be the end for them anyways with the new CBA caps (haven't really researched this but $60 million only goes so far; they need to keep the big three + Battier to stay somewhat intact), so the Heat have more on the line/more to prove from last year and they're playing like it.
 
Yes LeBron is beating Durant on both ends of the court, but If the Thunder are to turn this around IMO it starts with Westbrook. He is being outplayed by Wade, and that was as big of a difference as anything last night.
 
Edit: of course if the Thunder win tomorrow night, we'll have a whole new series best 2/3 so all the pressure is on OKC; they will need to play out of their minds though. How will they react, that is the question.

 

[grokit]

How will they react, that is the question (continued).
 
Great analysis:
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/06/18/heat-thunder-nba-finals-game3/?xid=si_topstories