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.