| OKC/MIA......any ideas out there? |
Sun, 17 June 2012 10:00  |
 collect-on-tuesday
Messages: 653
Registered: January 2012 |
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I'm kinda lost on this series. Played the under 197 game 2 large when I got that sweet number but then I got scared and bet same amount on over 190 on live betting. Got real lucky to get em both. Had a big wager on OKC tho. Night ended well but I didn't feel I had any read on the game. Watched the game without sound. Read something where Westbrook told critics he wasn't changing the way he is playing. I haven't particularly thought he was doing anything wrong. Seems like he is playing the way is normally does. I could be off, but to me it seems glaring that Perkins can not be on this court right now. Brooks is married to the guy. Popovich would have played him 40 minutes a game vs the Lakers and maybe 2 minutes per game vs the Heat. Magic made a comment after game 1 about how he was impressed by Brooks not playing Perkins in that 2H of game 1 when they had they big swing. But then Brooks plays him the entire 3rd in Game 2 and it took away from there energy. Collison has to be out there more than Perk IMO. We all love KP but he just kills you defending the P&R. As for the Heat, hard not to be impressed with the focus and determination the whole team has played with. If Wade and Lebron can continue playing the whole game at such a high level then thats gonna be hard to stop. Refs have really help both of them out. You can't breath on either right now. If that was Durrant guarding James at the end of game 2 James goes to the line. All these Battier 3's and perfect free throw shooting has been a surprise. From a competition POV tho, impressive to see the Heat have an ability to flip a switch mentally. Spoelsra isn't married to his shitty bigs. Can't think of when I've seen Anthony of Turiaf this series. When you can put James on Perkins and let him kinda play safety and roam around it allows you to do that. Heat are 14-33 from 3's which isn't overwhelming. However, I'd say they are 12-17 combined in the first halves of the series so far. That has made a big difference shooting well early. Defensively, OKC has been awful. Even in the Spurs series they can't seem to get out to shooters. How many times is Harden going to help down and leave Stephan Jacksons and Shane Battiers open for backbreaking 3's? Discouraged this hasn't been fixed. As long as James continues to go strong to the basket and get deep post ups, they really don't have anyone strong enough to guard him. James is on another level this series. Maybe Ibaka has the best combination of size and foot speed. Not sure where to go with this one. Neither team can slow the other in transition. OKC has played their best basketball on the road these playoffs. However, I think thru all the failures James and Wade have had, they understand the opportunity they have tied going home for 3 games. Also helps they are seen as the underdog in this series. At this point I don't see them not coming with energy and focus. James is playing with the "fuck the world" mentality and for the first time since being there, the rest of the team realizes he is going to be the MAN and it has helped the others see their roles better. Therefore they are playing faster and more decisive. My gut told me this could be a series where you see a couple 88-79 type games. If we get the Heat to cool off and the refs to back off, I think thats still a reality. Gonna play this one under small and look to get another unit under at the first timeout. If Brooks continues to start Perkins I think get a 198-200 after the first timeout.
[Updated on: Sun, 17 June 2012 10:05]
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| Re: OKC/MIA......any ideas out there? |
Sun, 17 June 2012 21:09  |
Rob_Veno
Messages: 4129
Registered: July 2005 |
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I didn't play this game tonight for a lot of reasons which all brought me to a point where I didn't feel totally comfortable either way. My most persistent thought was Miami would win this game because of the nearly full 3 day break between games which woul help Wade' knees be rested and ready to play all out in this game on each end. There's another one of those long term breaks between Game 5 & 6. Wade looked real good tonight, like he had a full tank and the necessary explosiveness. Not so sure he comes back that way on the shorter rest in Games #4. Feel like he has to play in spurts in order to preserve his knees for this series ad they just don't allow him to go full bore all the time. While the overload of ESPN talking heads will have a 36 hour window to scream their countless opinions about how Miami hs taken control and the sky is falling on the Thunder but after watching the last two games I just don't see Miami as being th decisivley better team here. For as well as everyone seems to think they are playing, they needed Kevin Durant to miss an 8 footer to prevent them from potentially choking away a 17 point lead and tonight they were inches away from losing their grip on this game too. In each game they've been aided by Durant foul trouble and as much as I don't like to think it, it almost seemed like KD allowed the know it all media loud mouths inside his head. After Game#2 they were screaming non-stop about Westbrook being a major problem and Durant should be more forceful in making it known to him that this is "his" team. Some even expanded on and then spread like a wild fire that Durant's mother apparently said she thinks he should be more aggressive. I think we saw the result of all those sensationalized editorials tonight as Durant seemed to be relentlessly calling for the ball in the 4Q in order to try and take James man-man and make this game his personal battle. He continually forced up shots and played outside the team concept despite coming up empty time after time...even his 0-2 at the foul line. Seems like he decided that all the meaningless opinions were right and he shouldn't let anybody but himself own the ball down the stretch. It's a from cry from the guy who usually allows the game to come to him and shows the utmost faith in winning as a team. Figure he'll tune everything out over the next day and a half and get back to OKC style basketball. Also, have to remember that this is the same group of Heat players who were excessively high priced favorites and had Dallas down 2-1 last year with all the writers and talkers declaring the series was over and prematurely crowning them. Feel like there's still a long way to go in this one.
[Updated on: Sun, 17 June 2012 21:10]
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| Re: OKC/MIA......any ideas out there? |
Mon, 18 June 2012 00:01 |
collect-on-tuesday
Messages: 653
Registered: January 2012 |
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Until Brooks takes Perk off the court, I can only look to play the Heat. Again, in crunch time late, the Heat need points and they put Perkins in the P&R. They get two buckets and free throws in those 3 consecutive trips. Wade turns the corner, Perk is 4 feet away in no-mans land and Wade gets a running start then hits the lay-up. Brooks won't take him off the court. I think OKC may be getting toxic. Seen a tweet today that Brooks turned down a 3 yr 11mill offer from OKC. First off, what awful timing on the Thunder part of doing this in the middle of a series. When the Bills gave Fitz that contract after the hot start they shit themselves and it seems like that is par for the course on these things. Secondly, Brooks aint getting that from anyone else. Right now, OKC is frustrated and look confused. Back to back fouls on three point shooters at a time they had all the momentum? They look clueless on defending the perimeter. James has been great, getting too many calls tho. Nobody can guard him in this league if he is gonna get all these whistles. Refs determined this game tho. OKC makes their move in the 3rd, lookin solid on D and KD gets called for some bullshit when they were on their way to taking that lead to 15 or so. Miami just looks to be in such control, guess they have prolly been ahead 80% of game time in this series. Still looking at the unders in these games tho. This game was slower than the 176 points total would indicate. 49 points scored in the final 2 minutes combined of each quarter. OKC look like a wounded fish leakin blood and James and Co. look like hungry ass sharks ready to eat.
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| Re: OKC/MIA......any ideas out there? |
Thu, 21 June 2012 09:00 |
TarHeel
Messages: 1891
Registered: February 2012 |
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All I want to do it hit the Thunder ML, but the "winning time" plays from this series have kept me from pulling the trigger. Combine the head-scratching officiating (or lack there-of) on key late game plays, plus the Thunder's inability to finish it off when they have a lead, along with LeBron and Mario Chalmers of all people making late game clutch plays...it's a recipe for the Heat probably closing out this rather disappointing series so far...
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