N.B.A. Finals - Fatigue Is Not a Factor, Heat Coach Says OKLAHOMA CITY - The hypotheses came flying at Erik Spoelstra for 10 straight minutes, and for 10 straight minutes, Spoelstra batted them away, like an impatient college professor crossing wrong answers off the board. The Miami Heat did not lose Game 1 of the N.B.A. finals because of fatigue, Spoelstra said Wednesday. Nor did they lose because of a short rotation. Or because of a lack of size. Or because of a lack of lineup continuity. Or because of some strategic gambit gone awry. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong. "Last night was not decided by schematics," Spoelstra, the Heat coach, said in assessing a 105-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night. It was decided by force. It was decided by will. It was decided by energy. Both these teams have that ability. They imposed that on us last night, and that's the reality. Everything else was probably everything in between. And yet, every item on that list will remain a nagging concern in this series until Miami proves otherwise. The Heat were beaten on the fast break and in the paint. The Thunder rebounded better, shot better and got better performances from their stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They looked fresher, faster, looser and more precise, outscoring the Heat by 58-40 in the second half and making a mockery of Miami's vaunted defense. Every simmering concern about the Heat seemed to come to the fore in the loss. Spoelstra used just six players for the bulk of the game, while playing two others for a combined 12 minutes. The Thunder - who already have the presumed advantages of youth and fresh legs - spread the minutes among eight players, all of whom played at least 21 minutes. Even before the finals, the Thunder's depth was considered one of their greatest advantages. While playing down every question about fatigue, Spoelstra did say that he would probably extend his rotation for Game 2 on Thursday. He said that James Jones, the reserve forward, was not available for Game 1 because of a migraine headache - an ailment that the Heat did not disclose Tuesday night. Although Spoelstra did not mention it, Mike Miller (who played 10 minutes) is also dealing with a number of aches and pains that are limiting his movement. Ronny Turiaf has also been limited by injuries since the Eastern Conference finals. So the Heat's bench options are rather limited. Joel Anthony (2 minutes in Game 1) and Norris Cole (zero minutes) are the only other players available. Chris Bosh, who played nearly 34 minutes in Game 1 - his fourth game back from an abdominal injury - will probably see an increase in his minutes as well, whether he continues to come off the bench or return to the starting lineup. As for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who each shot poorly Tuesday, Spoelstra noted that they spent the same amount of time on the floor as their counterparts, Durant (46 minutes) and Westbrook (42 minutes). "Fatigue wasn't an issue last night," Spoelstra said, adding, "We still were four or five plays from coming away with a win." The issue cannot be entirely dismissed, however. While the Thunder had nearly a week off after winning the Western Conference finals, the Heat had just two days to recover after taking seven games (and two overtimes) to finish off the Boston Celtics. James exerted every ounce of energy just to beat the Celtics, averaging nearly 46 minutes per game in the series, and playing all but 3 minutes 39 seconds of the last two games. James seemed to be laboring in the fourth quarter against the Thunder, and although he scored 30 points he made just 11 of 24 shots. The Heat can hardly afford to rest James, but they also need him at his peak to have any chance of winning the title. "It's a fine line, honestly," James acknowledged. Especially now, being in the finals. There's always times when you would like to get a minute here, a minute there, two minutes there, and I've got to be more out with my coaching staff, as well. While James is still a relatively young 27, Wade is 30, with a lot of playoff mileage on his body and with a balky left knee that reportedly had to be drained during the conference semifinals. Wade's shooting percentage has been decreasing in every round - from 50.6 against the Knicks to 47.2 against the Indiana Pacers to 44.4 against the Celtics. On Tuesday, he needed 19 shots to score 19 points. "I want to score more points," Wade said. I want to get my team more to give us an opportunity to win the series. I'll be more aggressive, looking for my opportunities a lot more probably than I have of late. Wade's struggles have spawned endless speculation about his health and his longevity as an elite player. The contrast with the younger, fantastically explosive Westbrook has only underscored the issue. "I still have something in me," Wade assured. Meanwhile, Spoelstra opened himself up to second-guessing after using James as a roving defender in Game 1, rather than assigning him to check Durant. According to an ESPN analysis, James guarded Durant for only five plays. Spoelstra insisted that the game "was not decided by schematics," but James himself seemed eager to change that particular strategy when asked about guarding Durant. "Coach gave us an idea for Game 1, and we went with it," he said. He added later: "This is one game. We will make adjustments.