The Heat got off to a fast start during the first game of the series, but a poor second half performance ended up costing them the game. With the necessary adjustments, the Heat should fare a lot better on Thursday.
"[Game 1] was not decided by schematics," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about Miami's Tuesday loss. "It was decided by force. It was decided by will. It was decided by energy. … Both these teams have that ability. They imposed that on us and that's the reality."
LeBron James led the Heat in Game 1, but he clearly wasn't as aggressive as he was during Miami's last two games against the Boston Celtics. Dwyane Wade also had the same problem on Tuesday, taking a bit too may jump shots.
Wade hasn't been particular effective in his last few outings, but he has been playing with a bad knee. He'll need to bring his A-game on Tuesday.
"A lot of times I try to let him figure it out on his [Wade] own, but sometimes I go to him and tell him I need one of those games from him, I need one of those performances from him, because he still has it," LeBron told reporters. "He knows he still has it, too, but every player needs a little kick every now and then, no matter how time tested they are."
I was impressed with the way Miami's role players played in Game 1, with Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, and Udonis Haslem, putting up decent numbers.
Even though it was a little disappointing to see the Heat blow their first half lead, I'm sure they'll learn from their mistakes. They're more than capable of defeating the Thunder, as long as they remain focused throughout the entire duration of the game.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Heat-Thunder Preview"
Joseph Goodman, "Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade promises to be more aggressive…"
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