All the talk leading up to the NBA Finals was about each team's star players. Given the number of stars on each side, the focus made sense.
But it has been the role players, notably Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers, who have led the Heat to a 54-47 edge at halftime of Game 1 in OKC. Battier had 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, while Chalmers had 10 on 4-for-6 shooting. LeBron James had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Udonis Haslem had nine rebounds for Miami.
As for the Thunder, Kevin Durant had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, but he scored just two points in the second quarter — a monster dunk. Russell Westbrook had nine points on just 3-for-10 shooting, but had six assists. Serge Ibaka scored 10 points, but had only two rebounds. Despite not being as talented in the post, the Heat have a 20-17 rebounding edge.
Miami led 29-22 after the first quarter, but the second was a back-and-forth affair — literally. After the Heat took a 37-24 lead on a LeBron James dunk, OKC scored six of the game's next eight points. From the 6:56 mark of the quarter to 0:31, neither team had two straight of the game's scoring plays. The Heat would extend their lead, but the Thunder would answer each time.
For more on the 2012 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat, check out Welcome To Loud City and Peninsula Is Mightier. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.