Thirty teams have been down 3-1 in the NBA finals, and all thirty teams have lost the series. OKC Thunder face a must win in game 4 if they want to avoid becoming team number thirty-one. Kevin Durant has been hampered by foul trouble the last 2 games having to take on the burden of trying to guard Lebron James. “He’s a tough cover, he’s very physical and im reaching a lot right now and I have to stop reaching.” Durant said following the game 3 loss.
Sixth man of the year Jeff Harden has essentially been non existant the first three games of the series. For the Thunder to have a chance of knotting the series at two games a piece Harden will have to come alive on offense. Harden’s biggest strength is his playmaking but his scoring is needed in this series. “My shot’s just aren’t falling right now. I need to do a better job of getting to my spots where I can be successful with putting the ball in the basket.” Harden said following the game.
Westbrook continues to be judged for all his shot attempts in the series and has no plans to stop shooting anytime soon. “I will continue getting my shots up and staying aggressive. It’s what I have done all season and it worked, why would I stop now?” Westbrook said. Westbrook clearly has the advantage over Chalmers with his speed but he is still settling for jumpers. If Westbrook can make it a priority to get to the basket consistently it will begin to open things up for Harden and of course Kevin Durant.
Game four will be the turning point in the series one way or the either. After game four the Heat could be up 3-1 and one win away from the championship. Or the series can be tied at 2-2 with a game 6 being necessary back in Oklahoma. Either way game 4 will be the most pivotal. Miami was up 2-1 last year before losing the last 3 games of the series. Will Miami learn from past failures and put a strangle-hold on the series and the championship? Or will Durant and the Thunder fight and claw their way to a 2-2 series tie?
