Frenetic, sloppy play has marked the first few minutes of Game Five, which if you've been reading anything by any sports reporter over the last couple of days, is just a series of motions the teams must go through before LeBron James finally receives his first ring.
It's funny, cuz it feels like ofcourseMiamiwillwintonightbecausetheThunderaresoyoungandlookhowmuchbetterandolderandtoughertheHeataresolet'sjustgetthisoverwith. Additionally, no team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit in an NBA Finals before, so history won't let the Thunder win either, right? It's the problem inherent with outcome-based perspective. The Heat have won three games in a row, so it feels like they've dominated the series even though every single game has been in doubt with one minute left except for Game One, which the Thunder won. It's been a phenomenally evenly-played series and I think OKC is extremely aware that win tonight means that all they gotta do is hold serve at home and the title is theirs.
The determining factor tonight will likely be how complacent or focused Miami's best players are. If they assume it's in the bag, they could lose by 20 to a youngry team desperate to survive. If they approach this game with the same tenacity they've showed all series, then they should be able to close it out.
Anyhow, it's 11-10, Miami now, with 6:30 left in the first. The first developing story line is Dwyane Wade's two fouls. And as I wrote that, Thabo Sefalosha just picked up his second, meaning that OKC's LeBron-stopper may have to check himself.