Thunder rally in second half to top Heat, take 1-0 series lead

Oklahoma City showed Miami what team basketball looked like in the NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant scored 17 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Thunder beat the Heat 105-94 in front of a sell-out crowd at Cheasapeake Energy Arena.

The tandem of Russell Westbrook and Durant outscored Dwyane Wade and LeBron James by themselves in the second half (41-40), with Durant drawing first blood in his matchup against the 3-time MVP. James only scored seven points in the final frame.

Westbrook played a better second half and finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. He is the first player since Charles Barkley in 1993 with similar numbers. James Harden was rather ineffective as he was dogged by foul trouble the entire game.

OKC turned the game around in the third quarter by going to a small lineup, spearheaded by defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha. His relentless defense relieved the burden for Durant and helped the Thunder take the lead for good.

The Heat got as close as four points late in the fourth before Durant made back to back buckets to give OKC a 10-point lead with 3:35 to go.

Durant's 36 was the most in an NBA Finals debut since 2001 when Allen Iverson scored 48 points vs the LA Lakers.

The Thunder have come a long way from its inaugural season of 23-59 in 2007-08. Now they have won the first NBA Finals game in team history and look to do the same in a couple of days.

Game 2 is Thursday.