Game 1 NBA Finals 2012: Heat Must Improve Transition Game to Survive Series

The Miami Heat are accustomed to being faster and more athletic than any team they play, turning defensive rebounds into easy buckets off a transition game few teams can match or stop.

Such is not the case against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the most athletic team in the NBA. And that was evident in the 24-4 advantage the Thunder held in transition points, a number the Heat must tilt in its favor if they hope to win this series.

All season long, we've heard about how deadly the Heat are in transition, and rightfully so. You could put together a five-minute clip of highlights comprised solely of lobs between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the break.

And since the Heat often play with a smaller lineup, quickly taking advantage of the opposition in transition is a logical strategy.

But the problem in this series is that the Thunder are really good in transition as well, and last night were far more explosive running the floor than the Heat. Whereas the Heat's fast break is generally sparked by James or Wade, the Thunder have players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha capable of getting down the court quickly.

There is no question that Miami has other issues they need to deal with moving forward. For one, they need someone other than James to step up offensively. For another, they can get beaten up on the boards like they did in Game 1.

And we all know the inevitable "Durant is a better closer than choker LeBron" conversation is on the tips of tongues everywhere outside of Miami.

But those are all side issues to me. While the rebounding differential factors into the transition game (43-35 in favor of the Thunder), the fact that the Heat don't have a distinct advantage in athleticism or in transition makes me think that this is a series the Heat probably won't win.

According to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN, the Heat had never been outscored by 20 or more points in transition when the Big Three played together until last night.

And frankly, I think they've faced few teams as deadly on the break as the Thunder.

Put it simply, the Thunder simply played the Heat's game better than the Heat did. If that continues, this will be a very short and very disappointing series for Miami.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets really wanted to have another.