Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma City Thunder get a rematch from last year’s NBA Finals on Thursday night against the Miami Heat. While this is only a regular season game, the Thunder have to treat this like it is a playoff game to gain a measure of confidence against a team that pounded them last season. This is the type of night where Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have to come to play and must play well.
Miami took it to Oklahoma City last year and there have been some changes with the Thunder between now and then with the team trading James Harden without missing a beat. The team is leading the National Basketball Association in scoring behind Durant’s 29 points per game. There is no doubt in my mind that the Thunder will finish with the top seed in the Western Conference when it is all said and done. That means the chances for a rematch against Miami go up with home court advantage.
Durant and Westbrook need to score 60 points between them and hold the Heat down enough where the Thunder can outscore them in the end. There will be people who don’t think that this game is that important in the grand scheme of things but this is a chance for the Thunder to prove that they can beat the Heat. It is for players like Durant who want to get over the hump after getting so close last season. The Thunder need to treat the game like it is Game 7 in a must-win situation.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
