Heat vs Thunder Game 2: Complete Guide to Critical NBA Finals Contest
Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat is just a few hours from tipoff.
There’s a lot at stake as the Thunder attempt to stay undefeated in front of their rocking home crowd, while the Heat will be fighting tooth and nail to not go into an 0-2 hole before they play the next three games in South Beach.
Keep reading to find out just about everything you need to know about this exciting contest.
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
When: Thursday, June 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Watch: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN3
Betting Line: OKC -5.5, Over/Under 196 (Via ScoresAndOdds.com)
Most Important Player to Watch: Kevin Durant
KD absolutely lit it up in Game 1, particularly in the fourth quarter when he delivered an incredible 17-point performance and insured that OKC walked out of the arena with a W.
He’s got to be just as good tonight, and perhaps not wait until the final period to unleash a scoring barrage.
Miami had opened up a 13-point lead at one point and was threatening to put the game out of reach. Had a few more shots gone down, there is no telling what sort of impact it would have had on the psyche of the Thunder.
If Durant can continue to build on where he left off, there shouldn’t be a problem in Game 2.
Key Matchup: LeBron James vs. Thabo Sefolosha
Sefolosha was arguably one of the top players on the court for much of the second half on Tuesday. He moved around the court like an absolute mad man—contesting shots, breaking up passes, pulling down boards and just seemingly making an impact on every play.
That it why it was genius for coach Scott Brooks to switch the motivated Swiss machine to guard LeBron in the fourth quarter after he spent most of the game assigned to Dwyane Wade.
Sefolosha stepped up to the plate as much as King James shied away from it, holding the league MVP to just five points in the quarter.
It will be interesting to see if Brooks keeps his best defender on James for the duration of Game 2, and also what LeBron has up his sleeve to counter the defensive tactics of Sefolosha.
Final Prediction
Thunder 105 - Heat 102
This should be a much closer contest than the first one was. Expect it to come right down to the wire, and possibly go into overtime. My prediction is that Durant will hit a go-ahead three with barely any time left on the clock and Miami will brick a desperation attempt to tie after an epic game.
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