The Thunder have relied upon ascending center Steven Adams consistently throughout the playoffs, with the 7-foot big playing huge minutes in the No. 3 seed’s six-game ousting of the No. 2-seeded Spurs.
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The NBA confirmed that after Monday’s game when Joe Borgia, the senior vice president of replay and referee operations joined NBA TV to discuss some of the close calls in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 108-102 win over the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Stephen Curry’s near half-court shot to win it in overtime at Oklahoma City in late February became one of the defining moments in his record-shattering MVP season. In the Eastern Conference finals, starting Tuesday, it’s Toronto’s Kyle Lowry versus Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving. At that point, Westbrook had three points and one rebound. Will the Thunder be able to pound the Warriors on the offensive boards?
“We’ve just got to compete”, Westbrook said. Westbrook tries to get the game into a chokehold from the get-go, imposing his will. He attacks the rim, going all out from the opening tip. Westbrook was 11 of 14 from the line and made 10 of 12 in the second half.
Monday, May 16: at Golden State, 9 p.m.
In a series where the small ball-oriented Warriors could need a reliable paint presence, Steve Kerr expects Andrew Bogut to be ready to participate in its entirety.
“When you compound turnovers that may or may not happen, with bad possessions and quick shots and rushed possessions, it makes it seem a lot worse”, Curry said.
“Time of the year you’re going to get hit but you’ve got to find a way to get back up”, Westbrook said.
“Well, we’re down 1-0, so it’s a long series”, Kerr said afterwards. On March 3 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors tied the Chicago Bulls’ NBA record 44-game home winning streak with their 121-106 triumph.
Considering the Conference Semis series with the San Antonio Spurs and this one game with the Warriors, the Thunder have registered a total of 3 road wins, the entire National Basketball Association had 3 road wins against these two teams during the regular season.
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The Warriors and back-to-back NBA MVP Steph Curry host the Thunder tonight in Oakland at 2:00 GMT.
