By Mike Piellucci
FOXSportsSouthwest.com
It doesn't happen as much as you'd think in the NBA, but occasionally a game plays out pretty much according to how you'd expect. Not the final score, per se, but more so the elements that dictate the contest and the stylistic clashes that define it.
On Thursday, the Thunder's 125-124 win over the Magic proved to be one of those games.
Case in point, Reggie Miller's pregame notes on the TNT broadcast boiled the game down to four main keys to watch:
1. Orlando's three-point shooting (most makes in the NBA) versus Oklahoma City's perimeter defense (ranked 29th in opposing three-point percentage)
2. How will the Thunder contain Dwight Howard?
3. Oklahoma City's fast-break (fourth-most points in transition) versus Orlando's transition defense (fewest points allowed in transition)
4. How will the Magic stop Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook?
Re-read that list again and you'll notice that it is hardly the most obscure collection of trivia out there; the first two keys could be uncovered with a few minutes of research while the latter two are readily apparent to anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of current NBA events.
Give Reggie his due, though, because it was those four things
