Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have always been regarded as two of the best young talents in the NBA. They have looked unbeatable throughout the playoffs, but so far in the Finals, they have hit a brick wall at certain moments when playing the Miami Heat.
Westbrook has now been exposed to the nation as a false point guard. Throughout the season, many questioned his ability to be a prototypical point guard, but now that he is in the Finals the whole world knows his resume.
Westbrook's old shooting guard days in UCLA have been tough to get over. His inability to get the ball to the open player has plagued the Thunder in the open floor.
Last night, he let a few chances escape on the fastbreak. He missed layups and forced shots when players around him were wide open.
He gets overzealous when the Thunder make big baskets and exacerbates energy with celebrations despite the team still being down.
It is sort of like Westbrook is channeling his inner Thunder crowd, celebrating whether they are winning or losing a game.
Maybe, he should wait until they get the lead before taking out the imaginary guns and putting them back in their imaginary holster while the Heat race back on offense.
It is almost like he forgets the situation. Westbrook needs to work on his finesse and develop a simple fist pump.
Kevin Durant has showed his inexperience in the past two games by picking up pointless fouls. Durant was going after players and reaching in when he was in no position to make a play.
He has to understand that he cannot score when he is on the bench.
Durant went out in the third quarter and the Heat were trailing by seven. Westbrook went on a missing rampage and Fisher came in to substitute.
After Derek Fisher hit a three-pointer and the free throw following a foul, the Thunder had a 10-point lead with 4:33 left in the third quarter.
The Thunder were on the floor without their best playmakers. The Heat made a run, which ended with James hitting a three pointer as there were only 52 seconds left to play.
In four minutes, the Heat were able to go on a 15-3 run and took a 2-point lead into the final quarter.
A Kevin Durant with four fouls in the fourth quarter is as unproductive as a Kevin Durant on the bench. He settled for outsides shots and finished with only four points in the final quarter.
James Harden only scored nine points in a game where they could have used his production.
The Thunder still have to find a way to get Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins active on the offensive side of the ball. The more players involved on the offense means more bodies for the Heat to defend.
Oklahoma City is not out of it yet, despite the fact that they are down 1-2 in the series. The way they stormed back against the San Antonio Spurs is still fresh in people's minds.
With Game 4 set for Thursday night, the Thunder will try to tie the series up. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat will look to put a chokehold on the series and try to take the 3-1 advantage.
More focus will be necessary from the Thunder's young stars.