NBA Finals: Why The OKC Thunder Can Still Beat The Miami Heat

The Thunder are on the verge of losing their series with the Heat as Miami took a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals with their win on Tuesday night.

Oklahoma City has lost three straight games after taking Game One against Miami. OKC has been competitive, losing each game by an average of just five points, but they're just one loss away from defeat.

The odds are stacked against the Thunder making a comeback. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals.

Miami will look to close out the series on Thursday in Game Five on Thursday night. They are big favorites to beat OKC. Sportsbook.ag has put the Heat's odds at -525.

Things aren't looking good for Oklahoma City, but there's still a chance that they can come back and win the series.

Here are three reasons the Thunder still could win the NBA Finals:

Home Court Advantage

The Thunder are one of the best home teams in the NBA.

They went 26-7 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena during the regular season, and have been even better in the postseason. OKC is 9-1 at home in the playoffs, with their only home loss in Game Two against the Heat.

If the Thunder can win Game Five, they'll return home for the final two games. Beating Miami in three straight games won't be easy, but winning two straight at home certainly isn't impossible.

Not only are the Thunder good at home, but the Heat have had some difficulties on the road. Miami had the fourth best record in the NBA during the regular season, but finished the year at just three games over .500 on the road. The Heat are just 5-5 away from South Beach in the postseason.

If the Heat lose Game Five, there's a good chance they will be underdogs in the next two games.

Role Players

LeBron James has been spectacular this series, but he's not the only reason the Heat are one win away from an NBA championship.

After struggling for much of the postseason, Shane Battier has been on fire in the Finals. He's shooting 63 percent from the three-point line against Oklahoma City, and 65 percent from the field with 11.8 points per game. Both of those numbers dwarf his stats in the previous three series.

Miami starting point guard Mario Chalmers hasn't had a great series, but he was one of the biggest reasons the Heat took Game Four. Chalmers scored 25 points on 9-15 shooting, including 12 in the final quarter.

James Harden, OKC's top bench player, has struggled mightily this series. In 15 playoff games before the Finals, Harden scored double-digits in every contest. In three out of the four games against the Heat, he's scored less fewer 10 points.

It's hard to imagine Battier and Chalmers outplaying Harden for the rest of the series. If all three players revert to how they performed before this series, the Thunder still have a chance to win a few games.

Pressure on Big 3

This Heat team has, perhaps, more pressure on them to win a title than any team in recent history. Much has been talked about the Big 3's quest to get a ring, and they have proven to be largely unfazed by the criticism in this series.

But Miami also has proven that they're capable of crumbling at any moment. In last year's Finals against the Mavericks, the Heat seemed to be on their way to winning the series. All of a sudden, they lost three straight games, and LeBron James played like a shell of his old self.

If the Heat lose Game Five, it's not inconceivable they could succumb to the pressure once again. Miami blew a double-digit lead in Game One, and almost blew an even larger lead in the second game.

The Heat are in control of this series, but one loss could put the Thunder in a great position to pull off the upset.