Miami vised
The Thunder put a serious squeeze on the Heat tonight: Dwyane Wade checked in with 24 points, and Michael Beasley tied his career high with 28, but Jermaine O’Neal was banished to the Land of the Jump Shot, and no one else from Miami came close to double figures, as Oklahoma City knocked off the Heat 98-80.
Things got physical in the second half. Jamaal Migliore and Nick Collison managed a double foul; O’Neal and Kevin Durant were headed for an altercation, and technicals were assessed against both. You know tempers are running high when Kid Delicious gets a technical. The Thunder had an appalling 23 turnovers, but everything else was falling their way — they shot 50.7 percent, made half their treys (six of 12), and outrebounded the Heat 45-33. KD knocked down 10 boards and dropped in 36 points; Jeff Green and James Harden each contributed 14. Russell Westbrook’s shooting was quieter than usual — six points — but he served up 11 assists. The Heat were held to 41.5 percent shooting, only one of eight from beyond the arc, and they even missed nine of 20 free throws.
Does this make up for losing the previous two games by a total of two points? Not quite. But the crowd, yet another sellout, were happy to see the win, and it’s the third season sweep against an Eastern Conference team.
Monday afternoon (bless you, Dr. King) at Atlanta, followed by, in rapid succession, the T-Wolves, the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers. Pulling 2-2 out of those four will be a moral victory of sorts.
