Pregame 27: Merry Christmas!

Vs.

When: Tuesday, December 25 @ 4:30 CST

Where: Miami, Florida - American Airlines Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: ABC (Cox 8, HD 705; Tulsa Cox 8; DirecTV 6; UVerse 5)

Stream: Click Here

The moment all Thunder fans have been waiting for. A chance to exact revenge. An opportunity to stick it to LeBron and his cohorts. A shot at showing not only that Kevin Durant is MVP worthy, but at showing that OKC is championship worthy. Barring any outstanding circumstances, all roads to the Larry O'Brien trophy run through the Heat. 

The last time these two teams met, one team was basking in the glow of victory, and another was consoling each other while looking towards the future. Most can guess who was which. The iconic image of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook all arm-in-arm, watching the rest of the clock of Game 5 of the Finals tick away was one that was burned in the minds of all Thunder fans. 

Seeing the young, charismatic players, rarely seen without a smile, standing in the corner of the court with looks of sadness was more than many OKC fans could bare. Yet, there was always next year and always the promise of many more runs at it. The big three for Oklahoma City were the youngest in the NBA, looking forward to 10+ years together with opportunities abounding for this young super team. However, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. 

A few days before the deadline to sign restricted free agents, James Harden was traded. The Beard, the threes to the ground, and the guttural roar from the darkness of Harden's face were all gone. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year was gone. Along with Aldrich, Cook, and Hayward (Lazar), Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a few first round draft picks, and a second rounder. No one knew what was next for the cinderella team from America's Heartland. 

Neither did anyone know how little it would actually affect them in the regular season. 

So far, the Thunder are showing little to no negative effect from the Harden trade. Oklahoma City's offensive has been as potent as ever, ranking in the top five of most, if not all, of the monikers of offensive efficiency. Field goal percentage, three point percentage, and free throw percentage are all up from last season. The Thunder are shooting, assisting,  and rebounding better than ever. Kevin Martin has effectively filled in most if not all of the holes that were left by James. Martin is just as, if not more, efficient as James Harden while spacing the court even more with his consistency from downtown. The question is, can Martin do what James wasn't able to do during the Finals, show up?

Prediction: 113-105 Thunder

Points of Interest 

• Kevin Martin. Every Thunder fan saw the effect of a game without Kevin Martin. Now that problem needs to be fixed just in the case that he is injured again, but having Martin back in the lineup is pivotal. In order to beat the Heat, OKC must be able to space the floor and use all of its offensive weapons, not just Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
• Assists, Assists, Assists. The Thunder have been setting a great precedent for future years as a team with a high assist rate. To spread the floor and take advantage of the full power of their offense, the Thunder must assist much like they have before. 
• Small Ball. In last year's Finals, the one weapon that worked for the Thunder all season was used against them. Miami infused a group of hot shooting guards into the lineup, torching OKC from the arch because of their inability to match the small ball that they installed. Oklahoma City must be able to defend against the small ball of Miami in order to win tonight. 

Thunder UP and Merry Christmas!