Thunder looks to end bad habit of falling behind early in games

BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Saturday, June 16, 2012
6/16/12 at 4:06 AM

Long after the Miami Heat completed a 100-96 victory in Game 2 of the NBA finals, Nick Collison remained at his cubicle in the Oklahoma City locker room.

From a dozen media members, Collison heard essentially the same question, over and over: Why has the Thunder made it a habit of stumbling from the starting gate?

"It's too hard to come back from such a big deficit," a deflated Collison replied. "It's difficult to have these heroic comebacks all the time."

Oklahoma City overcame an 18-point deficit to beat San Antonio in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, and the Thunder rallied from a 13-point problem to defeat Miami in Game 1 of the finals. But on Thursday, while the storyline remained the same, the outcome was different.

During the final three quarters of Game 3, the Thunder outscored Miami 81-73. However, it was the first seven minutes that defined the contest.

By the five-minute mark of the opening quarter, the Heat had an 18-2 cushion.

Eventually, there was a 17-point deficit.

And eventually, as OKC ran out of time, there was a Game 2 defeat that evened the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.

Reflecting on his team's terrible first quarter, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant said, "That was the game. We can't start off down 18-2. We can't get down that much, especially at home. We've got to correct it. We've got to just stay positive, man."

Each of the three bad-start games was played in Oklahoma City. The NBA finals now shift to Miami for Game 3 on Sunday, Game 4 on Tuesday and Game 5 on Thursday.

If there is a similar first-quarter failure in Florida, it would be doubly tough to rally.

Even with all of the challenges that OKC coach Scott Brooks' team was dealt - the early deficit, early foul trouble for Durant and Russell Westbrook, and a great collective performance by Miami's stars - the Thunder had a chance to tie Game 2 when Durant launched a left-baseline shot with 12 seconds left.

Durant appeared to be fouled by Miami's LeBron James, but there was no whistle - and there was no basket.

"That would have been a nice opportunity for us to make that or get to the free-throw line and send it to overtime," Brooks said. "But unfortunately, we didn't get the (call), and we moved on."

"I'm going to focus on the first six to eight minutes of the game," Brooks added, referring to Oklahoma City's recurring bad starts. "That's more important than the last minute or the last play of the game."

From Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Thunder got a total of 80 points in Game 2. Miami's Big Three - James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - were more efficient, combining for 72 points on 47 percent shooting. They also finished with a total of 29 rebounds.

"We didn't want to have any regrets," said Bosh, responsible for 16 points and 15 rebounds. "We wanted to come out and play a very, very complete game."

Ultimately, the difference centered on contributions from others.

From Thabo Sefolosha, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Derek Fisher and Collison, Oklahoma City got a total of only 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the field.

From forward Shane Battier, who entered Thursday's game with a playoff scoring average of 6.3, the Heat got 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (including 5-of-7 from 3-point range).

"He's been a huge lift for us," James said of Battier. "He's shooting the ball extremely well from the outside. He's making plays, both offensively and defensively. We're going to need it.

"The series is going to be so tight that we're going to need guys to step up, and Shane has been there in the first two games."

2012 NBA FINALS: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. MIAMI HEAT | SERIES TIED 1-1

Game 1

Thunder 105Heat 94 Big second half for Thunder.

Game 2

Heat 100Thunder 96 Slow start dooms Thunder.

Game 3

7 p.m. Sunday, at Miami

TV: KTUL-8

Game 4

8 p.m. Tuesday, at Miami

TV: KTUL-8

Game 5

8 p.m. Thursday, at Miami

TV: KTUL-8

Game 6*

7 p.m. June 24, at OKC

TV: KTUL-8

Game 7*

8 p.m. June 26, at OKC

TV: KTUL-8

Radio: All games on KYAL fm97.1, KAKC am1300

*if necessary

BY THE NUMBERS

1-12
Thunder’s shooting during the 18-2 Heat run to start Game 2.

5-20
Shooting by OKC players outside the big three (Durant, Westbrook, Harden) during Game 2.

16
Points by OKC players outside the big three during Game 2.
Original Print Headline: Bad Habit

Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts against the Miami Heat during the second half at Game 2 of the NBA finals basketball series. JEFF ROBERSON/AP Photo

The Thunder's Kevin Durant watches from the scorer's table during Game 2 of the NBA finals on Thursday night. The Thunder's recent habit of slow starts proved costly Thursday, as the Heat managed to do what no other team has done in the playoffs this year, win in Oklahoma City. JEFF ROBERSON/Associated Press

James Harden dribbles in the lane past Miami's Mario Chalmers during Game 2 of the NBA finals on Thursday in Oklahoma City. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World