Thunder 1-3 Heat

Strange to say, but this kinda shocks me.  The disappearance of James Harden is the first and foremost factor at work, I think; Lebron is having one of the greatest Finals ever but I think if Harden were putting up any kind of production then the Thunder would have already won this series.  History is loaded with one-man teams that couldn’t pull it off in the Championship.  Lebron’s been great before but he’s never been this close to victory. 

Just to make the devil’s advocate case: if Harden starts hitting his 3’s and Durant/Westbrook start getting the calls that they’re not getting now, then the Thunder could quickly return to 110 er’y night and run off 3 straight with a quickness.   They took 4 straight from the Spurs (who were a better all-around team) and though Lebron is the best player out there, I still think the Thunder have what it takes to neutralize him and push the offense. 

The reason I thought the Thunder would win was that potent offense.  We learned in the Eastern Conference Finals that for the Heat to win, they have to be up comfortably in the 4th quarter.  That is precisely what I thought would NOT happen against OKC, who scores and scores and scores.  But w/out Harden, the Thunder offense is beatable and when Lebron is dominant, the Heat can roll with anybody (for 45 minutes or so).  

We consider it a foregone conclusion that the Heat will win tonight but it is not at all impossible that a week from now those words look like ancient runes scribbled on a cave wall.  We might be talking about Westbrook as MVP, Scotty Brooks as the greatest coach on the planet, James Harden and Serge Ibaka as the sexy free agents of the off-season.  Could be.  Could be that Lebron is still a goat, Coach Spo is no mo, Wade is angry and beyond reproach, Bosh breaks down crying, the Big 3 has to be disassembled.  Could be.  I doubt it but could be.  The Thunder might play come out blazing, feeling empowered by house money. 

Lebron has got it in him to rise and rise and rise again if need be.  I think Chalmers is a for real contributor, Wade is still good for 8-10 free throws, Bosh is a stud every other night and even when he’s not hitting Battier is giving the Heat a lot of useful minutes.  Lebron has more to work with then I noticed all year long.  And he’ll need them for just one more game.  I reckon Lebron would rather wrap this up pronto, so look for him to have one of his classic nights: 40 points, 8 boards, 8 assists, 3 blocked shots, 2 steals, something like 12-14 at the FT line.  If Bosh shines out, then the Heat can definitely keep pace.  I'll take the Heat to wrap it up tonight (but it wouldn't be a shocker if Durant/Westbrook went offfffff tonight).