NBA Finals 2012: LeBron and Wade Won't Lead Heat Past Durant and Westbrook

The Miami Heat haven't yet faced a two-man tandem like the one Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook bring to the table. Considering the way LeBron James has had to completely take over in the Heat's last several games, that's not a good sign for Miami's title dreams.

LeBron was good in Tuesday night's 105-94 loss. He had 30 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The problem this time around—a problem the Heat haven't encountered in any series up to this point—was that Kevin Durant was better than LeBron, and on top of that, Dwyane Wade was mediocre and Russell Westbrook blew him out of the water.

The Heat haven't faced a team that has a two-man tandem like this. Westbrook isn't always on—he takes a lot of shots, and when they don't fall, he tends to get his team in trouble—but Tuesday night was one of those nights when the shots were falling, and Wade couldn't compete with him.

On Tuesday, the Thunder essentially had two offensive LeBrons and the Heat only had one.

Durant's 36 points on 12-for-20 shooting were the highlight of the night. He wasn't missing anything. He could score from anywhere on the court, against anybody. That, coupled with Westbrook's 27 points, 11 assists and eight boards, was impossible for the Heat to contend with on a night that Wade was anything less than excellent.

If the Heat were going to win this game, he couldn't afford to get outplayed by Westbrook, and he did. Wade submitted 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Not bad, by any means, but not good enough for Miami's two-man tandem to take down the Thunder's.

What was most impressive about Durant's performance was what he did in the fourth quarter, when he scored 17 of his 36 points. Meanwhile, LeBron's impact in the fourth resulted in seven points. This series is most likely going to come down to LeBron vs. Durant, and Durant scored a resounding win in Round 1.

The Heat essentially asked for the Thunder to walk right in and steal this game in the second half, and that just can't happen again. Surging out to an early lead and letting it go in the second half leaves you with nothing in the end; that's a lesson the Heat should've learned from the Celtics.

After the way their last series ended, the Heat should know better than to fade in the fourth quarter. Their performance in Game 7 of the last series was their saving grace, and that kind of fortitude was nowhere to be found against the Thunder on Tuesday night.

Maybe it's because they finally faced a team that had a player who can do exactly what LeBron can do—except, in this case, better. There was never a better time for Wade to step up and take over, but before he got the chance, Westbrook did it for the Thunder. That was the difference on Tuesday.