NBA Finals 2012: Why OKC Needs to Ditch Small Ball Before It's Too Late

As good as the Oklahoma City Thunder's smaller lineup looked in Game 1 against the Miami Heat, it appeared to be a lost cause on Thurday night.

It's a tempting strategy to be sure, especially for the Thunder.

For one thing, the Thunder are at their best when they're pushing the tempo, putting an obvious premium on smaller, quicker players like Derek Fisher, James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha. For another, OKC's best players are perimeter players.

With Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook locks to play big minutes, it isn't easy to find time for Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison.

Something has to give.

Ibaka hasn't hit 30 minutes in either of the first two contests against Miami, nor has Perkins. What's more, after securing 10 rebounds in 21 minutes of Game 1 action, Collison was held to under 15 minutes in Game 2 and impacted the game minimally.

The results weren't pretty.

After out-rebounding Miami by eight in Game 1, the Thunder were on the losing end this time. The Heat came away with four more boards than OKC, thanks in large part to Chris Bosh snagging 15 of them, eight of which were on the offensive end.

In a game that wound up being decided by just four points, it would have been nice to have some of those possessions back.

The small lineup also puts more pressure on Kevin Durant to mix it up in the paint, a dynamic that certainly played a part in him acquiring his fifth foul, which he earned after unthinkingly swatting at a rebound that was out of his reach. As it turned out, the misstep didn't force KD to sit in the fourth, but it very well could have.

The Thunder need their best players on the floor. 

It may make sense, however, to spend more time situating Durant, Westbrook and Harden around a big-man combination of Ibaka and Collison. That would preserve the lineup's quickness to at least some degree, more so anyway than when Perkins is on the floor.

More importantly, it would avail the Thunder of Collison's offensive rebounding and penchant drawing charges, as well as Ibaka's famed shot-blocking ability. Given the frequency with which the Heat drive the ball to the paint, that kind of size is crucial.

It could easily be the difference between the 100 points Miami scored in Game 2 and the 94 they put up in Game 1.

Perkins is a fine post-defender, but the Heat don't have a big man who spends much time in the post. Brooks should continue to limit his minutes, but the same doesn't hold for Ibaka and Collison. 

There may be a time and a place for small ball, but the Heat will adjust and limit whatever efficacy it appeared to yield in the latter stages of Game 1. As tempting as it is to wage a comeback effort on the backs of a quicker lineup, a couple of extra fastbreak opportunities won't count for much if Miami dominates the paint.

The Heat may dominate quite a few facets of the game, but that painted area shouldn't be one of them.