Bob Haynie: The Heat Is On Thunder
After winning game one of the 2012 NBA Finals, The Oklahoma City Thunder had established an early advantage over the Miami Heat. That victory also happened to be the Thunder's 10th straight home win during this postseason.
Thursday night, things changed.
Miami built a 17-point lead and then held off a furious Thunder comeback to win game two 100-96 and tie the series at 1-1. Aside from losing at home for the first time in the playoffs, OKC must now travel to Miami as the Heat will host the next three games.
Since 1985, the Finals has gone by a 2-3-2 format. I'm not really a big fan of the 2-3-2. The format is not used during any other playoff series. Only the Finals. Because of the 2-3-2, OKC could be in big trouble. If the Heat hold serve at home, this series may not make it back to Oklahoma.
There is a lot of star power at play here and I would like to see the Finals go the full seven games. In a close series, game five is considered the most pivotal. Because of the layout of games, OKC will not be hosting it. The Thunder has it's work cut out for it. Can the stand the Heat in Miami? They'll survive. But when they come home, they will be down 3-2.
BH
