The popular opinion is that Game 5 will be the last game of the 2012 NBA Finals and the first championship in LeBron James’ accomplished career. No team in NBA Finals history has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. The road is dark and the odds are long, but the Thunder won’t quit. The young, explosive team won’t step aside and watch James and the Heat celebrate a championship without a fight.

“This is a big time stage of basketball; we all enjoy this moment,” Kevin Durant said. “We didn't get here just to make it here and say we did. We made it to The Finals. We want to come in here and we want to try to get a title.

“It's all about competing until that last buzzer sounds, and that's what we're going to do. That's the type of city we play for, a city that never gives up. That's the type of team we are. We're going to keep fighting, keep fighting, and we'll see what happens.”

Fighting the good fight is the common theme in the Thunder locker room these days. They understand winning Game 5 is the first step in the near impossible three-step process. Confidence, however, isn’t an issue for the Thunder. They’re a tough, confident team that understands they’re capable of extending the series if they play the type of basketball that got them to the Finals.

“This group of guys never gives up, regardless of what happens,” Russell Westbrook said. “We've been through many different situations throughout the Playoffs. Just another task for us, we've just got to be ready to play for the next game.”

The Thunder’s chances greatly improve if James Harden can provide his usually offensive production. The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year has struggled in The Finals, scoring 10.8 ppg in the series, down six points from his regular season average. Harden knows he must return to form for the Thunder to have a real shot win Game 5 and extend the series. His confidence in his shooting abilities is still high despite his struggles. But his frustration is growing.

“I have a lot of confidence in my shot. Just by talking and putting the work in every single day,” Harden said. “It's definitely frustrating when those shots get open and don't go in, but you've got to continue to play. Especially for a player like me, I rely on more than just shooting, on just scoring the basketball. Obviously that aspect of my game has to be picked up in order for us to win games.”

The Thunder won’t add any pressure to their task. It’s very simple for them: Win or go home. Quite impressive for such a young team to have such a simplistic approach to looming circumstances surrounding them. But realistically it’s the only way for them to view the situation. They know what they need to do; it’s just a matter whether they’ll get it done.

“We're down 3-1 with a chance to try to take it back to Oklahoma City,” Durant said. “We can't win three games in a row here in Miami. We can't win the series by next game. We've got to take it a possession at a time, a game at a time and go from there. You know, Game 5, of course, is a do or die, and we've got to come out and perform.”