NBA Finals 2012: Attention Scott Brooks, This Is the Ideal OKC Thunder Lineup

Hey Scotty...or Scott Brooks! (Actually, can I call you Scotty?) I hear your Oklahoma City Thunder have been having some problems against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals so far.

No, not going problems or growing problems; your players are too young to have to consult with their doctors on such matters. 

Rather, the issue is one of starting. Your squad is tied at 1-1 in this series, but could just as easily be down 0-2 with the way it has gotten out of the gate each time.

At home, no less.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and their scrappy, offensively-challenged buddies managed to climb all the way back from a 13-point first-half deficit in Game 1, but couldn't quite overcome a 17-point hole in Game 2 as Miami led wire-to-wire.

Because, you know, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are good at hoop ball, as is Chris Bosh, and they've been to the Finals before.

So what's the problem then, Scotty? Is it that your Thunder don't have the requisite energy or hunger to impose their will on the Heat from tip to buzzer?

I (and you) should certainly hope that's not the case, especially at home, where you have fans like these showing up to Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The trouble isn't one of how your Thunder start but who you have been starting.

As Grantland's Sebastian Pruiti pointed out after Game 2, your starting five of Durant, Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins hasn't fared well at all against Miami, with a net rating of minus-4.4 (per NBA.com).

According to PopcornMachine.net, that same lineup registered a minus-eight rating in the first quarter of Game 1 and an overall rating of minus-17 in Game 2, including a minus-14 in the initial frame of Thursday night's tilt.

Why is that, you ask? Well, Scotty, as Pruiti notes, it all comes back to Perk. He's a fine post defender, but that doesn't matter much when the Heat don't have a big man down low who commands that sort of attention. Bosh is more of a "stretch four," with an accurate jumper and an effective face-up game.

And don't even think about trying to sick Perk on LeBron in the post, lest you invite another maelstrom of pain and criticism.

As good a screen-setter as Perk may be, the same could just as well be said of Nick Collison, who isn't nearly the offensive liability that Kendrick tends to be.

In any case, Perk is only useful against a more static big like (in this series) Joel Anthony. Unfortunately, Anthony played just over two minutes in Game 1 and didn't even get off the bench in Game 2.

What's more, putting Perk in the game throws off other matchups, much to your team's disadvantage.

In Game 2, it meant putting Ibaka on Shane Battier. Ibaka's effectiveness as a help defender was neutralized when he stuck to Battier. Battier also got some great looks when Ibaka went back to roaming like a shot-swatting gnome.

It should come as no surprise, then, that both Perkins and Ibaka have registered negative plus-minus ratings in each game, adding up to identical minus-18 ratings for them in these Finals.

Now, contrary to what Matt Damon thinks, I imagine that you, Scotty, do know what to do to turn the tables in your favor. That is, start small and stay that way.

Ideally, that means replacing Perk with Harden to create a starting five that's posted a net rating of plus-13.8 against Miami. Defensively, doing this would allow Ibaka to handle Bosh and, in turn, keep him closer to the paint, where he's most effective in support.

On the other end, you could cast The Bearded One in a more creative role.

Harden's probably the best passer and playmaker you have at your disposal. Westy's resume says he's a point guard, but in reality, he's at his best when he can play as a scoring combo guard who creates for others on occasion, not unlike Derrick Rose in Chicago.

Of course, that would mean weakening your bench considerably and making a decidedly dramatic strategic change compared to the way you've done things all season. You obviously like starting Durant, Westbrook, Thabo, Perk and Ibaka. Otherwise, you wouldn't do so every time they're healthy, as you've done throughout this season.

But this ain't the regular season, Scotty, where you have a method and you stick to it because you have to deal with a different opponent every night.

This is the NBA Finals; you have one team to beat and can/must make adjustments as needed if what you're doing isn't working.

Sure, there's a loyalty factor and you'd probably prefer to "dance with the ones who brung you," as Darrell Royal would say.

Then again, changing up your recipe can be a good thing. It boosted Heisenberg's business, (albeit in a much more elicit enterprise), and would help to boost your Thunder's bottom line on the court too.

Which is the goal of this whole thing, isn't it? Unless you'd prefer your problems keep growing, along with those early deficits to which your squad seems so privy.

Those legions of jilted Sonics fans in Seattle probably wouldn't mind, though your Thunder-mad Sooners would likely feel otherwise.

Do the right thing, Scotty. No need to be stubborn. Your team's championship fate may depend on it.

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