And then, a hush falls over the crowd. The crowd referring to not only the 14,000 plus that fell upon the AAA in Miami to watch the HEAT play away in Oklahoma City, but to HEAT Nation in general. Today, consensus by HEAT Fans is a mixed bag after dropping game 1 in such fashion Tuesday night. There’s some anger, some finger pointing, some disappointment, some numbness. In short, a rewind back to game 3 against Indiana, and games 4 and 5 against Boston and you get the idea. Par for the course as a HEAT fan internalizing another loss on NBA’s greatest stage, still inches from the title.
Some of the same themes throughout; remembering back to the Pacers series, there were similar sentiments as the HEAT dropped to 1-2. Chris Bosh was out, Dwyane Wade struggling and it took the HEAT on their first true roller-coaster ride from bottom feeder to king fish in the matter of a week. Wade found his stride, and together with LeBron James decided to tactically disintegrate the physical, aggressive and trash-talking nonsense before them to advance in 6.
Then it was the games 4 and 5 losses, taking the HEAT to the brink of a game 6 eliminator against rival Boston. To most fans, Miami was wasteful of opportunities presented by the adversary, unable to take care of business as a team and without a timely answer to the still-missing Chris Bosh. End result came as Bosh returned with positive impact in game 6, which provided just enough to get over the hump. The bench provided the needed lift on defense and offense, LeBron James emerged from the phone-booth dressed in the appropriate Superman (or LeBron James) apparel, and for the next two games returned to domination-style HEAT basketball.
So, here the monster is again, this time wearing the mask of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Same theme, same guilty parties following the same losing outcome. It gets a bit comical to be again sitting in the middle of this room that is so well known by HEAT fans and analysts alike, and staring in wonderment how different it looks in the light today. Bottom line is the Thunder proved to be the better team on Tuesday, June 12th 2012 in NBA Finals game 1. It is not an indictment of the HEAT as a team, or any individuals for that matter, nor prove indicative of the outcome of this series. If it did, the Indiana Pacers would be playing the San Antonio Spurs right now in the lowest rated Finals in history. Each game has been and will continue to be it’s own, win or otherwise. For now, a painful patience is required by HEAT nation, with all anxiously awaiting the next chapter on Thursday Night and hopes of never seeing that room again.
NBA Finals Game 1, Post Game Reaction by HEAT Fan
