It's halftime and the Miami Heat are ahead 55-43. On the surface, it looks like the Heat are just outplaying the Thunder. If you've been watching the game, however, you're probably shocked that the lead isn't 20+. Miami has frustrated OKC's two wunderkinds, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (combined 5-19 shooting), and are dominating the transition game 10-0.
Oklahoma City has been relegated to shooting jump shots which, as I mentioned earlier is fine when they're falling but are a logistical nightmare when they're not. Furthermore, the Heat are getting to the rack with relative ease and although Serge Ibaka has done a nice job of protecting the rim when they get there, those drives have led to kick-outs for easy shots and Miami's not missing.
The only reason the Thunder are only down by a dozen is the shooting of James Harden (17 points). Harden is shooting with spear-throwing-in-an-ancient-war-scene accuracy while his teammates' shooting is more like henchman-in-a-chase-scene accuracy. So far, the Heat have been the older brother, pinning the young Thunder to the ground and only letting up enough to keep the younger brother from quitting altogether.
It's not safe to assume the second half will follow the same trend, however, since OKC dominated the second half in Game One en route to a comeback that led to a nine-point victory.
Notable first-half lines:
Dwyane Wade: 5-11, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
LeBron James: 6-13, 12 points
Chris Bosh: 4-10, 10 points, 10(!) rebounds
Shane Battier: 3-4, 9 points
Kevin Durant: 3-9, 6 points
James Harden: 5-9, 17 points
Russell Westbrook: 2-10, 8 points, -17 +/- rating