LeBron James, Miami Heat outlast Oklahoma City Thunder

Published: 5^th Apr 12 2:35 am

by Zach Mink
NBA Blogger

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LeBron James, Miami Heat outlast Oklahoma City Thunder

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

In a duel between two MVP candidates, LeBron James bested Kevin Durant in the second and final regular season matchup to give the Miami Heat a 98-93 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. The next possible meeting between the two powerhouses? The NBA Finals.

James finished with 30 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals to pace the Heat (40-14). Dwyane Wade returned to the lineup with 19 points after missing the previous game with a sore knee.

Durant finished with 30 points but had a season-high nine turnovers in the loss. Russell Westbrook had 28 points on a inefficient 9-26 from the field, prompting fans to chant “Westbrook sucks” after a bricked shot and missed layup in the second quarter. Westbrook has been criticized by the media for his poor shot selection and refusing to defer to Durant with the game on the line, and has become somewhat of a scapegoat for the teams few failures.

The game had a playoff feel to it, with both teams playing extremely aggressive and physical. Tensions flared in the second quarter when Kendrick Perkins was given a technical following a hard foul on Wade. The bad blood between the two was evident in the previous game after Perkins wrapped his leg around Wade following an emphatic dunk, prompting glares from the Heat guard. Westbrook was called for a flagrant foul just a few sequences later after bringing James down to the ground on a breakaway dunk.

The unsportsmanlike fouls seemed to ignite Miami, with James rattling off 12 straight points and ending the half with a buzzer-beater from just inside the key.

James dismissed the dirty plays after the game, and spoke of his matchup with fellow All-Star Durant. Via the Sun-Sentinel:

The game had a gritty playoff feel throughout, including a pair of second-quarter dustups that left Thunder center Kendrick Perkins with a technical foul and Westbrook with a flagrant foul against James.

“This was a competitive, warrior game,” Spoelstra said. “Our guys showed up with a real warrior, tough mentality.”

James downplayed Westbrook’s chase-down foul.

“Playoff basketball,” James said. “I know Russ. I don’t think he’s a dirty player.”

He did not downplay the battle with Durant.

“It reminded me of the summer, when we were working out together and both pushing each other, staying on top of each other,” he said of their lockout sessions in Akron.

Despite all the jokes surrounding James’ fourth quarter struggles, he certainly made his presence felt late in the game against the Thunder. James scored six consecutive points late in the game, and blocked Durant’s potential game-tying three-pointer with 17 seconds left to seal the victory for the Heat.

The Thunder (40-15) now hit the road for a Friday matchup against the Indiana Pacers. The Heat continue a five-game homestead with the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night.

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