OKLAHOMA CITY – Kevin Durant continued his torrid march through the NBA playoffs, carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Miami Heat in the opener of the Finals on Tuesday night.
Durant rallied the Thunder after they lost the first two games of the Western Conference finals to the San Antonio Spurs and he brought them back against the Heat in Game 1 of the Finals, scoring 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. The Heat led by as many as 13 in the first half, but couldn't hold back the young Thunder after halftime. Russell Westbrook scored 18 of his 27 points after halftime.
Kevin Durant's first NBA Finals game was a smashing success. (Reuters)He added 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Kevin Durant's first NBA Finals game was a smashing success. (Reuters)He added 11 rebounds and eight assists.
LeBron James led the Heat with 30 points, but it wasn't enough to keep the Thunder at bay. Not with the other two members of the Heat's Big Three struggling. Dwyane Wade missed 12 of 19 shots and Chris Bosh missed seven of 11.
The Thunder didn't take their first lead until less than 15 seconds remained in the third quarter. Westbrook, who struggled in the first half, sparked the surge, scoring 12 points in the quarter. To a man, the Thunder picked up their aggression in the second half.
The Heat were expected to get strong play from their small forward. And they did initially – from Shane Battier, not James.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kept Battier in the starting lineup over Chris Bosh, despite Bosh's strong play at the end of the Eastern Conference finals. The move paid off early: Battier made three 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Heat guard Mario Chalmers also hit a pair in the quarter to help stake the Heat to a 29-22 lead.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks had worked to treat his team's preparation just like any other week in the playoffs – even if he knew that wasn't true.
"Obviously, it's the Finals, it's not an exhibition game, it's not any other game," Brooks said. "We know that. We understand where we are. But what we do every day is we do the same routine. We focus on improving, we focus on studying what they do …
"Nothing changes. It's basketball."
Still, the Heat led by as many as 13 points in the first half as some of the Thunder's young players needed a little while to settle into their first Finals appearance. That included point guard Russell Westbrook, who missed seven of his first nine shots.
Westbrook's lay-in with 31.4 seconds left in the first half brought the Thunder within seven. Whatever remaining frustration Westbrook had, he let it out by screaming toward the crowd.
James had 14 points at halftime with Battier contributing 13. Durant had 13 points while Westbrook had nine. The Heat shot 51.2 percent in the first half while making 6-of-10 triples and shooting just four free throws (all from James)
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