vs. 
OKC Thunder (21-5, 7-3 road) vs. Miami Heat (18-6, 13-2 home)
TV: ABC (Cox 8, HD 705)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 4:30 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 113.1 (1st), Heat– 111.6 (3rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.6 (10th), Heat – 105.0 (13th)
Pace: Thunder – 92.1 (13th), Heat – 92.4 (9th)
View from the enemy: Heat Index
The last time the Thunder played on this floor, well, you know what happened the last time the Thunder played on this floor. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden defiantly stood together with a very “never again” kind of look. Unfortunately, one of those guys has been removed from the equation, but that doesn’t remove the feeling of regret and remorse for what happened in June.
You simply can’t erase something like confetti falling on your head as your opponent celebrates a championship. It changes you. And so far, the Thunder are better because of it.
Revenge in the regular season really means very little. I honestly don’t think you can get anyone back, unless it’s in the postseason. Winning today doesn’t change anything that happened in the Finals. It doesn’t mean the Thunder won Game 6. But it sure would feel better than losing.
Especially with the Thunder coming off a loss in a game that feels like it happened two months ago.
The Thunder have always been a tremendous bounce-back team, but most of the time, they aren’t bouncing back against a team like the Heat. On the road, too.
It’s a major challenge for the Thunder in front of everyone in what’s being dubbed the game of the year. It has the hype. Will it live up to it?
Miami coming in: The Heat topped the Jazz on Saturday.
Three Big Things
1. LeBron and KD. The two best players in basketball going head to head. Obviously Shane Battier will check KD a fair amount and Thabo will have some time on LeBron. But mostly, it’s going to be these two head to head. What a present.
2. Russell Westbrook. He’s really the X-factor for OKC. The Heat don’t have anyone that really can guard him. They don’t have anyone to stay with him athletically. But Westbrook has to control himself, stay within the offense, play his game and avoid trying to avenge the Finals all on his own.
3. Perimeter Dee. The Heat punished OKC with their small lineup in the Finals, so we’ll see how much the Thunder and Scott Brooks learned from that. The Thunder have adjusted their offensive style some to play a little more Heat-ish, involving other pieces. But defensively, can Serge Ibaka defend the 3? Can Perk be effective guarding Chris Bosh? And if he’s not, will Scott Brooks stubbornly stick with him until the bitter end?
Tip at 4:30 CT. Go Merry Thunder.
brooks has to get lamb into the rotation before all-star break we need another rotational player.
Christmas Song - I came to shed a little light on this darkening sea...
If I'm looking at this game from a Heat perspective I'm anything but satisfied. Westbrook went 5/19, the refs leaned towards Miami, Durant sat in the first half with foul trouble, and its fully apparent now that LeBron can't guard KD. Losing sucks, but the outcome doesn't really matter until June.
@HookemKD and KD cant guard lebron either
@Lost Ones Sure, but Durant is the better scorer so I will say advantage Thunder on that one.
@Lost Ones @HookemKD our issue is that we can't double Lebron because he'll find an open man. They can double KD easier. We need a better plan on Lebron.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Lost Ones @HookemKD how does that effect guarding Lebron?
@HookemKD lebron could never guard KD, the issue is KD cant stay on the floor.
knew that game at minn was no good
Harden's having a nice Christmas
houston's ball movement has been impressive
Me through the whole bull shi... game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSAKHLbCUGk
Also, when I saw the Thunder took 30+ ft attempts and still lost
And when I saw Lebron asking for a foul, a Heat player on the ground, Perkins in the game etc
Anyone knows what was our pace in this game?
The Heat play a physical game and I think until our players mentally can take on that type of game without pressing we will continue to have problems with them. Even when we got steals we'd give it right back because Miami was physical and kept pursing. I feel like things like that get to our players.
@supreme35 yep, we need to experience more games like this and learn to maintain our composure. there are going to be quarters and games where we're not getting calls and we can't make shots--we still have a ways to go.
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@MisterJohnsonOKC I don't disagree but there are things in the Thunder control and a lot of the time they were not playing smart. They have to get to a point where mentally they can get over those things and go execute.
@MisterJohnsonOKC the pressing issue*
@MisterJohnsonOKC Brooks is definitely a big part of the problem. Perk should not start. It doesn't help our players with pressing issue if they have an uphill battle all game.
@supreme35 Durant needs to learn how to be a ball hog
Jones III is keeping it in perspective.
Perry Jones III @Perry_Jones1
Blessed to dress out for a NBA game on Christmas Day @ American Airlines Arena http://instagr.am/p/TrJkuBivIk/
@Old Man Game @Perry_Jones1 thats not a bad looking jersey
Why can't we trade coaches in the NBA? Can't we trade Brooks and a Ibaka for Greg Popavich?
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@MisterJohnsonOKC Rick Adleman! He is my first option, but he seems very committed to MIN. But for Pop, once Duncan and the rest are gone, he can look to something similar, yet different!
Usually when we loss perk is the reason 90% of the time. even when westbrook goes 4-40 its not the reason we lose.
@Lost Ones Shit. He was the only one playing like he had balls in the first half. Him, Martin and Collison had balls in the first half, the rest forgot theirs in the locker room
lose
There was one game against Miami when i wasn't mad at Perk. It was the 'Peake game last season. Gosh we looked so dominant in that game
@ILikePancakes Spo hadn't figured out his small lineup at that point and he played Joel Anthony a lot more against us.
@ILikePancakes Miami was slow on their traps and switches. Like they were against 25 other teams in the league. That game woke them up and they've been energetic on D ever since.
4 points on 20% field goal shooting, 4 turnovers, 5 rebounds, and 1 crucial defensive blunder in 25 minutes for 8 million dollars.
For the next matchup I'd like to see some play calls specifically designed to break the trap. I'm not basketball savvy to know of any, as passing out of the trap and ball-movement didn't work tonight as the Heat were excellent on their switches.
I guess maybe going exclusively small so there is a shooter at every spot might be the only solution.
@alvarex KD is almost freakin' 7ft tall!!! I don't know why he just didn't stand up straight, and then Jump and then pass it. He was always low, trying to guard the ball
I never like playing the Heat. Durant always get's into foul trouble and Perkins is always playing more then Necessary! Where was Thabeet? He could have done much more and most likely stole the pass from Lebron to Bosh in the fourth with his outstreatched Navi hands!
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@MisterJohnsonOKC atleast we lost to a good team and not the Hawks at home without Josh Smith
@OBoy Jones III @MisterJohnsonOKC Pshaw, what losers did that?!?!
@MisterJohnsonOKC I don't like the Knicks, so I was rooting for the Lake show.
@thelaughingwiseman @MisterJohnsonOKC picking between the knicks and lakers is like weighing the merits of gonorrhea vs syphilis.
@MisterJohnsonOKC clippers can still lose though
The officiating was pretty horrible, but we still had a shot down the stretch. The only play that really upset me was that offensive foul against Battier by Durant that put him on the bench. Losing him early really hurt. And we might have been ahead in the 4th instead of behind.
After these laast two games, I just don't see how we are going to make it the playoffs.
@CDSpark Trade KD for BJ Mullens, it's rebuilding time
@ILikePancakes @CDSpark Trade KD for all the white guys on the Timberwolves. Show that MidWest pride!
Trade Perkins
Fire Brooks
Play Lamb
Draft Zeller
Don't feel like going through the comments, so I'm going to assume this is the gist of it
@anonymous12345 *screw the refs
Figuratively, not literally. We aren't that kind of kinky.
The people behind the scoring table were probably scared shitless after that Russ slap lol
We don't need a defender to specifically defend Lebron. KD needs to score in different ways vs the Heat so he doesn't get offensive fouls and we'll be fine guarding Lebron with KD and Thabo. When we have problems is when KD has 3 or 4 fouls and someone like Nick or Serge has to try to cover him.
@OBoy Jones III Game was lost coming down the stretch. Too many blown rotations/calls and we couldn't overcome it all. I don't think the personnel on the roster was the problem as much as the personnel on the floor during stretches. Perk most notably.
@Old Man Game our defense was the problem most of the game but down the stretch it was pretty good. We needed stops because we couldn't score for a stretch.
@Lost Ones @Old Man Game we got 5 straight stops late in the 4th and only scored 3 points.
@Old Man Game @OBoy Jones III yes lol
@Lost Ones @OBoy Jones III Isn't that bad defense then?
@OBoy Jones III @Old Man Game our defense was good but we allowed miami to get open buckets with slow rotations.
@OBoy Jones III Gave up two easy ones to Wade at the rim. And then the bad one to Bosh. Blown rotations or just guys falling asleep.
@OBoy Jones III @Old Man Game best way to get a stop, have Perk leave his man wide open under the basket to go doubleteam 5 feet away
@OBoy Jones III the heat guards kd the same way they guard harden.
@Lost Ones @OBoy Jones III flop. undercut
@Perk90X @OBoy Jones III he def needs to learn how to flop on those double teams.
@Lost Ones it has to do with how we iso post up durant. He always picks up atleast 1 offensive foul vs the Heat on those plays.
@Lost Ones @OBoy Jones III There has to be a way to guard LeBron, but when was the last time Scotty went with a gameplan against a specific team or player? I can recall only the WCF last year
@ILikePancakes @OBoy Jones III The best way to guard the heat imo is for KD to not allow lebron to go into the post which he does a great job against. the issue with that is KD is not a focused defender. oh yea and dont play perk.