After another dominate Game 4 victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from the NBA Finals
Most people expected that it was going to be the San Antonio Spurs facing off against the defending champions in the Western Conference Finals. That didn’t happen.
Most people predicted that this would be a quick series. That could happen.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 1, then swept their two consecutive home games, most recently winning over the Golden State Warriors, 118-94, in Game 4.
And just like that, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder are one win away from dethroning the Warriors, who won 73 games during the regular season, which would be in line as possibly one of the greatest upsets in the history of the NBA.
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If Stephen Curry and company can’t find a way to regain the offensive surge that they had during the regular season, this series may be over in Game 5 at Oracle Arena.
For the Warriors, it’s stunning. It’s unexpected. To begin with, Draymond Green, who kicked Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin, twice in the series, escaped suspension. He should have been suspended. But the NBA thought otherwise.
Come Game 4, Green’s presence was hardly felt as he wasn’t much of a contributor during the game. Although he hauled down 11 rebounds, Green only scored 6 points, only making one of his 7 attempts. He also turned the ball over 6 times.
To make things worse for the defending champions, the Splash Brothers continued their unbelievable shooting slump. Curry, who scored 19 points, only made 6 of 20 shot attempts including a woeful 2 of 10 from the three-point line. Klay Thompson led the way with 26 points, 19 coming from the third quarter alone. It wasn’t enough, though. The duo also combined for 7 of the Warriors’ 21 turnovers. Stunning, isn’t it?
The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, made sure they take care of business at home. Even when the Warriors trimmed down the lead, from the highest of 25 to 6 points during the second half, they remained poised.
Even when Klay Thompson nearly outscored the entire Thunder team all by himself in the 3rd quarter alone, the Thunder didn’t lose their composure. Kevin Durant had 26 points and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had another triple double with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, clearly outplaying the first unanimous MVP of the NBA.
The rest of the Oklahoma City’s starting 5 had a combined 45 points, 26 rebounds and 14 assists plus eight blocks.
What made the difference for the Thunder? They had lesser turnovers at 21-18. They dominated the rebounds, 68-49, 16-8 on the offensive end. The Thunder may have struggled from the three-point line but they muscled their way to the shaded area, dominating the points in the paint, 48-38.
If anything, Game 4 was a clear indication that the Warriors can’t take the Thunder for granted, especially now that the best season in the NBA is on the line. And, they can’t just simply rely on the Splash Brothers to bring them to the promised land. Not against the Thunder which have the healthy duo of Durant and Westbrook.
Most people say that whatever you accomplished during the regular season, it will be all worthless if you failed to win a title.
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Yes, the Warriors won 73 regular season games. That was great. Was. Try erasing a 3-1 series deficit. That would be definitely great. The only question is: Can Steph Curry and company prevent one of the greatest collapses in the history of the NBA?