Heat vs. Thunder: OKC Doomed If Russell Westbrook Shoots More Than Kevin Durant

It may sound like 22 shot attempts is a lot, but not when you're talking about Kevin Durant.

And it's not nearly enough when Russell Westbrook is taking 26 of them. 

It's no secret by now that the Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard is more a floor gunner than he is a floor general. It's also common knowledge that head coach Scott Brooks is just fine with that arrangement—no one is expecting Westbrook to start playing like Steve Nash.

There's no sense in forcing a player to be something he's not. There's plenty of sense in putting guys in a position to succeed.

But that doesn't mean what happened in Game 2 against the Miami Heat is acceptable.

On two possessions toward the end of the fourth quarter, Durant found himself momentarily open behind the arc amidst fast breaks—golden opportunities given how well KD was shooting the ball. On both occasions, Westbrook failed to get him the ball.

In the first instance, Westbrook forced a pull-up jumper off the backboard to no avail. In the second, he kept the basketball just long enough to turn it over.

At a time when every member of the Thunder should have been bending over backwards to get Durant the ball, Westbrook's poor floor vision was on full display.

He may not be a pass-first point guard, but he still has to look up in those kinds of situations. Even if he were a seven-foot center, these are passes that any player needs to make.

It's utterly baffling that Durant doesn't touch the ball at least once on every single possession. Whether he's in a position to score or not, he's the Thunder's best player on the floor. Not only is he the best-suited to shoot; he's also the best-suited to make plays for others.

With his length and ability to rise above defenders, the three-time scoring champion could be a far more prolific passer—especially with his penchant for drawing so much attention.

The fact that he had just one assist in Game 2 isn't a function of selfishness. It's simply what happens when a guy isn't touching the ball frequently enough.

When all was said and done, Westbrook looked a lot like the guy who'd struggled against the Heat the four times he'd faced them prior to Game 1—an inefficient scorer putting up too many shots. This time, that meant a 10-of-26 shooting performance.

That didn't just compromise Durant's touches. It also meant that James Harden ended up with just 11 field-goal attempts for the duration of the game.

In part, that had something to do with Brooks keeping his hot hand on the bench for a few minutes too long in the third quarter. After going off for 17 points in the first half, one would think the feared beard would have been hurried into the second half as soon as possible.

You'd at least think he'd score more than four points in that second half.

The bizarre shot distribution also had to do with the Thunder moving the ball as they had in the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals—which is to say, not nearly enough.

Whether or not Westbrook is the one creating plays for others, someone needs to be passing the ball.

And however that ball winds up in Kevin Durant's hands, there's no question he should be the one taking 26 shots, if not a few more.