NBA Finals 2012: LeBron James Must Guard Kevin Durant for Heat to Win Game 2

Turning a series in your favor can happen with a move as small as a defensive matchup change, and for the Miami Heat to win Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals, they must have LeBron James guard Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant for the entire game and the rest of the series.

When Boston Celtics coach K.C. Jones decided to put legendary defensive guard Dennis Johnson on Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson during Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals, the series immediately shifted in Boston's favor, and the Celtics won two of the next three games to take the title.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra must do the same tonight and make the key defensive switch to give Miami the best chance to win.

Durant's 17 points in the fourth quarter were the difference in OKC's Game 1 victory, and unless James guards him Thursday night, the Thunder will take a 2-0 series lead to Miami for Game 3 on Sunday.

Miami doesn't have the bench depth to overcome Durant and Westbrook outscoring Wade and James. The Thunder duo out scored the Heat duo 63-49 in Game 1, which means Miami must stop one of OKC's top two players, and the star that must be defended better is Durant.

The Heat had James defend Westbrook a bit in Game 1, and this allowed Durant to take over.

"

Heat have LeBron on Westbrook defensively & now Durant going to work.

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 13, 2012"

James is one of the best defensive players in the NBA and the most athletic defender that Miami has for Durant. He also has the quickness and recovery ability to stay with Durant on the perimeter and not get beaten when the Thunder forward makes his move toward the basket.

More importantly, James has enough length to bother Durant's jump shot, whereas Heat players such as Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Dwyane Wade don't have that ability. One of the most effective ways to stop Durant is getting into his air space and bothering his shot.

James' ability to do this and still recover if beaten off the dribble because of his athleticism makes him the best option for defending Durant.

Battier just doesn't have the foot quickness or athleticism to keep up with Durant and contest his jumpers or drives to the basket. That matchup is a terrible one for the Heat.

The Heat aren't going to stop Westbrook from getting his normal amount of points. Mario Chalmers and the rest of the Miami point guards won't stop him. The Thunder point guard is going to attack the basket, be aggressive offensively and get to the free-throw line no matter who on the Heat guards him.

The key for Miami is shutting down Durant and making him work for every point.

James is clearly tired right now, but he has to summon the energy to defend Durant for the rest of this series. The Heat have no other options for success. If Durant shoots a high percentage and dominates the second halves of games, then OKC will sweep this series.

James has played 42 minutes per game in the playoffs, which is five more minutes per game than his regular-season average, but he cannot allow himself to think he's tired. Fatigue is often a mental factor, not a physical one, and James needs to make himself believe that he has the endurance to guard Durant for the entire series.

LeBron James will need to score around 25 to 30 points per game for the Heat in this series, but his defense will be the difference in the NBA Finals.

He must guard Durant starting in Game 2. It's Miami's only hope for success.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report