Thunder vs. Heat: Scott Brooks pleased with team effort in loss

The Miami Heat have figured something out about the Oklahoma City Thunder that the rest of the league seemingly hasn't. It showed again Christmas Day, when Miami topped OKC 102-97 in an NBA Finals rematch.

The game really could've gone either way, as the Thunder had their chances at the end with two shots at game-tying threes that didn't connect. It was a well-played game on both ends, and head coach Scott Brooks acknowledged as much after the game while lauding his team's effort. (via NBA.com)

Disappointment never even entered Brooks' mind:

"Our guys are competitors," Brooks said. "I'm proud of how they compete and they never let up. Never. I've never been disappointed in this team with how they compete... They came back and fought when things weren't going well for us and gave ourselves a chance to tie the game up."

And of course there's Kevin Durant, who was once again brilliant on both ends of the floor. Durant scored 33 points, 22 of which came in a second half that saw the Thunder hold the Heat to a meager 27.8 percent from the floor. Brooks pointed out Durant's performance, and said it's just par for the course for the star forward:

"We've seen it for six years that he has seen it all and he's seen the best defenders on him, and he still scores his points," Brooks said. "That's what he does, and that's what makes him a special player. He's very unique and he's such a great teammate, you want him to have success because of how hard he works."