Jun 17, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6)and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) celebrate following their win in game three in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Thunder 91-85. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James should be playing in the block more as a point forward. He has the vision to hit the open man. He’s a great finisher around the basket and would draw more fouls, hence more free throws. Miami’s offense is predictable and stagnant, at least this would draw double teams and the help defense to over commit.

Dwyane Wade doesn’t move around enough. He should be getting open looks and easy baskets by cutting. Chris Bosh and LeBron James are excellent distributors and Wade would get open mid-range jumpers if he wasn’t standing still. He plays hero ball too much, and takes too long to make a decision when he has the ball. He will make a couple timely hoops but he’s not playing at a high level when you combine statistics with the eye test.

Chris Bosh needs to hang around the free throw area offensively. Not every single play, but Miami uses his ability to distribute and he’s a threat with his shot (although he’s been off), especially if James is on the block or baseline. Bosh cut down the lane for 2 easy dunks from the free throw.

In fact, the Heat could run some triangle within the offensive flow with Wade on the wing. James could back screen for Wade when Bosh has the ball and cause a mismatch if not an easy layup. If Wade had the ball on the wing, Bosh could run a pick and pop with him and Shane Battier (or Mike Miller)  in the opposite corner if the defense cheats. It’s simple basketball.

Speaking of Battier or Miller, those two should be in with the big three. Wade would initiate the offense and those 2 would spread the floor and give their offense much needed spacing. Not to mention James and Bosh on the front line. This unit should get a handful of minutes together in each half.

When Chalmers is in the game, he should be controlling the ball over Wade. Chalmers attacks when he gets a pick while Wade prefers to go iso. Chalmers is on and off, but he doesn’t benefit you by standing in the corner. By the way Norris Cole had some success penetrating inside, which led to easy baskets.

OKC was playing Battier tight throughout the game. He was able to free up for just enough space on a few plays. Udonis Haslem should get a few more plays designed for him, he’s been able to get to the charity stripe.

Controlled Russell Westbrook is better, he’s more assertive and efficient.

Where is James Harden? The Sixth Man of the Year led the league in 4th quarter free throws. OKC has struggled in the 4th quarter to get all three playmakers involved in games two and three.

Also in games two and three, James has been attacking the paint and Kevin Durant is flirting with fouling out. serge Ibaka should get more time guarding James because of his length and footwork. If Ibaka were to get screened, he then becomes a help defender and he did lead the league in blocks.

Game 4 was always going to be the game OKC could steal on the road. Miami wanted to start and end strong at home. Although I’m going with Miami to win the series, the Thunder is a better and deeper team.

On that note, I’m not the biggest fan of OKC coach Scott Brooks. Dating back to a big regular season game with playoff implications against the Lakers, there’s two things I remember. To win the game in regulation, Brooks drew up an isolation play for Durant. In overtime, OKC ran a catch and shoot play for Westbrook. Those roles should have been reversed.

Well in game three, Brooks had Thabo Sefolosha inbound the ball with the shot clock turned off. He threw a turnover. That should have been James Harden passing the ball in.

Jun 17, 2012; Miam, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) go for a rebound during the first quarter in game three in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Durant scored an efficient 25 points. Westbrook found success (19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks) while Harden couldn’t connect with his shot, he did everything else right. Kendrick Perkins stepped up with a double-double, 10 points and 12 rebounds. Derek Fisher is reliable in a playoff rotation, he’s tough and can hurt you with timely baskets. Nick Collison should have played more in game two, and was taken out of the game from early foul trouble.

Wade scored his share of the points tonight, I’ll call him “Flash” again when he deserves that nickname. James flexed with a 29-point, 14 rebound stat line. Bosh struggled to score but he did manage a double-double, 10 points and 11 boards.

Also, James forced Durant into a tough shot down low in both games two and three. Perhaps you learn form those two situations, but this is the finals and a pick should have been set. It’s tough to score in the clutch, let alone in the block/baseline area. A pick would switch James onto someone else, and Durant would have a mismatch.

I put that on Coach Brooks as well. Erik Spoelstra gets his rightfully due criticism, as should Brooks. This series is based on talent, not coaching.

James sealed the deal with a couple free throws in game two, and did so again by splitting a pair in game three.

Prediction: OKC snags game 3 in South Beach and the Heat bounce back with a game 4 win, looking to close out the series in OKC.

Jun 14 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) pushes off against the defense of Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the third quarter of game two in the 2012 NBA Finals at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Perkins was called for the foul on the play. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The NBA finals shift to South Beach tonight. Miami managed to split the series in Oklahoma, and will be looking to take a step closer to the championship tonight.

Despite starting the game on a 18-2 run, Miami managed to win by only 4 points, as Oklahoma rallied back and made a game out of it. Game 2 eventually came down to the last shot, on which, according to many, Durant got fouled by James. The foul wasn’t called and Miami won the game.

Keys to the game

Jun 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts during the fourth quarter of game two in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Miami won 100-96. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Probably the single most important factor of game 2 was the aggression of LeBron James on offense, which in turn got Durant into early foul trouble. Due to foul trouble, Durant’s minutes were cut down to 38, and Miami were able to hold off the Thunder.

Game 2 was really a team victory, in which everyone stepped up. Battier remained hot, drilling threes left right and centre, and shot 5-7 from three-point land. Bosh was back in the starting lineup, playing 40 minutes, going for 16 points and an absolutely huge 15 rebounds. Wade finally got it going early, scoring 24 points and dishing out 5 assists. James silenced his critics, hitting a clutch shot off the glass, and knocking down 2 free throws in crunch time.

Jun 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) and Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh (1) celebrate during the fourth quarter of game two in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunderat Chesapeake Energy Arena. Miami won 100-96. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron needed more help from Wade and Bosh and he definitely got it on the night. The big 3 were clicking the whole evening, and one play down the stretch summed up the night. Wade was dribbling the ball, as James came over to the three-point line and set a perfect screen. Having already gathered momentum, Wade flashed by Harden into the paint, and avoided Ibaka’s attempt to block the shot by delivering a perfect bounce pass to Bosh under the basket. Bosh dunked the ball hard, and put Miami in front by 7 with 53 seconds left. All of the big 3 played a big part, and managed to complement and feed of each other.

Obviously Miami reached the goal in Oklahoma – they split the first two games. Even so, being at home will not make things easy. With the finals 2-3-2 format, Miami will now play 3 in a row at home. As competitive as this series is, home court isn’t as important of a factor. Theoretically, Miami could close out the series at home, by winning 3 straight, but that is highly unlikely. Kevin Durant has proven throughout the playoffs that he is the most clutch player in the league, and with his qualities, there is no way OKC will drop 3 games in a row – they are too good. At the same time, Miami cannot afford to lose 2 games at home, and will need to get at least 2 wins heading back to Oklahoma City.

Miami have to make sure they come out ready to play from the very start in game 3. Coming off a loss, OKC will be the desperate team, and Miami will have to match their intensity from the tip off. Furthermore, the Thunder have started the first 2 games pretty slow, and will most likely be looking to change that.

Jun 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts during the fourth quarter of game two in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Rusell Westbrook has been the target of a lot of criticism in this series, despite putting up monster numbers. He shot more shots than Kevin Durant in both games, and his shot selection was poor in game 2. He rarely had any rhythm when he shot the ball, and has to play smarter.

After not blocking a single shot in game 1, Ibaka made his presence felt in game 2, coming up with 5 blocks. Miami have to keep his paint presence in mind, and try to force him out of the paint.

Jun 14, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the fourth quarter of game two in the 2012 NBA Finals at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Miami won 100-96. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Finally, the big 3 will have to continue producing. Miami simply cannot win this series without Dwyane Wade being Dwyane Wade, and without Bosh being as solid as he was in game 2. Battier has also played amazingly well so far, and his contributions are always a bonus. We know LeBron is going to get his number and put up MVP performances, but Miami will have to beat the Thunder as a team.