Oklahoma City Thunder Push Warriors Into Dire Situation; Take 2-1 Series Lead

The Oklahoma City Thunder obliterated the Golden State Warriors in Game 3, now leaving the defending champions in a dire situation to avoid going down 3-1

The Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to the tune of 133-105. The Thunder now lead the series 2-1. But, most importantly, they proved that this series can really go either way.

The game remained close throughout two quarters, as has been the story for each game thus far in this series.

This time, however, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder who went on a run to take command of the game, going on a 13-0 spurt to end the half. Sparked by the duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the sequence quickly put pressure on the Warriors to turn into the laser-sighted bunch that could shoot their way out of a deficit.

The Oklahoma crowd welcomed the sight of the sharp-shooting Stephen Curry missing several of his trademark jumpers from long-range. As Curry’s shot seemed to leave him, so did that of the other Golden State players.

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Meanwhile, Westbrook continued to attack on both sides of the floor en route to a double-double. Durant was equally impressive, both in finishing at the rim and knocking down shots to lead the team to their biggest victory of the postseason.

Coming out of halftime, the Thunder continued to run up the score to eventually take a 37-point lead over the defending champions.

Golden State’s woes continued as members of the team began to look over at coach Steve Kerr during the run, expecting a timeout to be called. Instead, Kerr let the team continue playing as if to say he had given his squad all he could give them.

Controversially, Draymond Green had a play on Steven Adams where he caught Adams low with his shin in a move that looked intentional.

Green was going for a shot and was fouled by Adams, however in going up he flailed his leg outward and caught Adams low. Green was given a flagrant foul on the move because of the follow-through.

This is the second time Green has caught Adams in that area in the series and has left many wondering if the forward will be suspended over the play.

By the time the game was over, Curry was left to watch the game from behind the veil of a towel as the Thunder won 133-105.

The final statistics were most telling. Kevin Durant finished with 33 points. Russell Westbrook fell just short of a triple-double with 30 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds.

For the Warriors, Curry had 24 points and shot 7-17 from the field, only making three of eleven shots from three-point range. Klay Thompson finished with 18.

Draymond Green had only six points and Andre Iguodala had nine.

One of the biggest keys was the hustle of the Thunder, especially on the defensive end. OKC won the battle of the boards 52 to 38.

After a thorough beat-down, people are left with a tale of two series:

In Game 2, Stephen Curry caught fire in the third quarter to lead a route that ended 118-91 in favor of the Warriors. After the game, many felt that Golden State had put the Thunder in a must-win scenario.

Pundits wondered if Golden State simply had too many weapons for the one-two punch of Durant and Westbrook to overcome.

Instead, the Warriors are now in a dire situation as the Thunder take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals with one game left to play at home before the series returns to the Bay Area.

The Warriors are by far the team with the most to lose. After completing their historic run to 73 wins, Curry was voted the MVP of the league for a second consecutive season. This time, he won unanimously, becoming the first player ever to do so.

A collapse at this stage would be one of monumental proportions, especially considering how well the Warriors have played against the Thunder in the regular season and in Game 2.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the series undoubtedly quells any unrest they had about the future of Durant and the squad. Not only has their duo shown they can play excellently together, but that they are true championship contenders in the league.

Where they finish will likely determine what addition needs to be made to their roster, whether it is a replacement for the spark James Harden provided off the bench or something else.

Game 4 has suddenly become a must-watch event as the winner could very well be the team that shows they have the extra fortitude to go to the Finals.

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