HEAT WAVE

The Miami Heat are once again 2 more games from winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Last year against the Dallas Mavericks the Heat held a 2-1 lead before going to Dallas and losing 3 straight games and losing the series. They're in the same position now, except they have 2 more games at home to try and close it out.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are 2 games away from winning their first championship together for the second year in a row. Personally, I think they will get it done. In game 3 the Heat ran away with the game in the first quarter, by opening up with a 18-2 run. Despite the Thunder effort to make it a close game and the questionable foul at the end of the game, the Thunder cant really blame no one but themselves. Miami hasnt played a good game yet in this series. They've played good in key stretches of the game, while OKC played bad, which is why they lead the series 2-1.  Also, I believe LeBron James is starting to slow down Kevin Durant a tad bit.

After KD scored 17 points in the 4th quarter of game 1, 16 in game 2, and only 4 points in game 3; I think he might be getting tired by time the 4th quarter arrives. When you have a guy like LeBron guarding you for an entire game, that can be tiring. I don't care what level you've played at or how good you are. Kevin Durant is listed at 6'9, but many say he's close to 6'11. That's a tough cover for anybody. But, what LeBron is doing is simply putting all 270 pounds of his weight on KD when he doesn't have the ball and making him work to get open. So, you figure for the first 3 quarters of the game KD will be fine offensively, but by the time the 4th quarter arrives; he doesn't have much left. Maybe that's the secret for success for the Heat.

I'm not worried about Kevin Durant or even Russell Westbrook's erratic play at times. I'm more concerned about James Harden. Where has he been? They will not win this series if he does not show up. The Thunder have 2 chances remaining in South Beach to steal a game, so the series can shift back to OKC. I picked the Heat to win in 5 games, and I will tell you this; if the Thunder do not win game 4 tonight, this series is over. I say that because, not only will LeBron and Chris Bosh be closer to their first NBA Championship, but because Dwyane Wade will takeover in game 5. I don't think Wade will want to go back to OKC and try and close out the Thunder at home. That can be a tough task, especially if the series is tied. Game 4 is tonight at 9 on ABC.