NBA Finals preview
Oklahoma City vs. Miami
Game 1: Tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, (8 p.m., ABC)
Season series: Tied at 1-1, both teams winning at home.
History: Miami lost to Dallas in last year’s NBA Finals, while Oklahoma City lost to the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
Most valuable: With three MVP awards and no titles, all eyes are on LeBron James during these playoffs. He has responded by averaging 30.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the postseason. Against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, James was incredible, averaging 33.6 points and 11.0 rebounds, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field.
Next in line: Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, who finished second in the MVP voting, is averaging 27.8 points and 7.9 rebounds during the playoffs, with 3 game-winning shots. Guard Russell Westbrook is at 21.7 points in the playoffs, and super sub James Harden is next with 17.6 points. For Miami, Dwyane Wade is contributing 22.9 points.
Rosy path: James has posted eye-popping stats, but don’t forget, the Heat was supposed to have a bye into the Finals when Bulls guard Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL. Miami fell behind in the second round against Indiana and was pushed to the limit by an aging Celtics squad. It wasn’t supposed to be so difficult for the Heat.
Best in West: The Thunder had a tougher assignment in the conference finals and managed to turn the tables on a San Antonio team that won 20 games in a row. After falling behind the Spurs 2-0, Oklahoma City won four in a row to reach the Finals, a first for the franchise since the Seattle SuperSonics lost to the Bulls in 1996.
Bring back Bosh: While missing nine games with an abdominal strain, Miami’s Chris Bosh taught himself how to make 3-point shots. He knocked down 3 3-pointers for the first time in his NBA career in Game 7 vs. Boston and scored 19 points in 31 minutes. It looks like Bosh should be back to full strength for the Finals. The Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor to a torn ACL in early January, but is otherwise healthy.
Stat patterns: Oklahoma City has been the highest-scoring team in the playoffs at 102.3 points, while Miami is allowing 88.1 points. … No NBA team collected fewer assists during the regular season than the Thunder (18.6 per contest). But Oklahoma City is slightly ahead of that pace in the playoffs, while Miami is at 17.3 assists in the postseason. … OKC center Serge Ibaka is averaging a league-best 3.3 blocked shots in the playoffs.
Prediction: The Thunder has homecourt advantage and an amazing collection of athletes who won’t wear down like the Celtics. OKC wins in six games.
— Mike McGraw