There are clearly numerous adjustments that the Oklahoma City Thunder must make moving forward if they wish to beat the Miami Heat, but is it time for them to panic?
For a second consecutive game, the Thunder squandered a golden opportunity. Unlike Game 1 and 2, though, they stayed within striking distance going into halftime. The result? A double-digit lead midway through the third quarter.
But as quickly as that lead came, it went, leaving Oklahoma City to contain LeBron James during crunch time, which is an unfavorable circumstance 10 times out of 10.
That said, is it time to panic?
No, it’s time for the Thunder to become more mindful. The silver lining of their two losses is that their wounds were self-inflicted. They shot just over 22 percent from beyond the arc in Game 3, both James Harden and Russell Westbrook were terrible from the field and Thabo Sefolosha struggled to keep Miami’s swingmen out of the paint.
And yet, despite all that, the Thunder were in position to win the game with less than a minute remaining. They were far from their best yet again, but refused to be put away. As painstaking as a loss like this is to swallow, it can also be somewhat encouraging. The Heat are an elite team, but one that couldn’t fully put a way a mediocre Oklahoma City.
Now, however, the Thunder are tasked with exceeding mediocrity and finding a way to build leads not only early, but hang on to them late. While there’s still the real possibility that Miami wins out at home to claim the NBA title, Kevin Durant and company are simply too talented to roller over and die now.
The Heat have the edge in the series, but the Thunder know what they themselves are capable of and what adjustments it’s going to take for them to win the next game. Oklahoma City’s talent is unquestionable, and their ability to dominate any given team on any given night is undeniable, but it now boils down to the Thunder tapping their potential, being weary of their decisions and finding ways to play their style of basketball.
And even after two disheartening losses, that’s a doable task.
This is no time for the Thunder to panic, it’s time for them to show the basketball world why they traipsed their way into the finals in the first place.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
