I don’t think anyone is discrediting the Golden State Warriors, who finds themselves on the brink of elimination in a 3-1 series hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder, right now.
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Oklahoma City was the place where Steve Kerr interviewed for the Warriors coaching job two years ago while he was a TNT broadcaster.
The Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals is a must win for the Warriors after they suffered a 133-105 loss in Game 3.
Those answers need to be found quickly with Game Five coming up in Oakland on Thursday (Friday PHT). Predictably and immediately, there was Twitter outrage as Cleveland Cavalier’s Dahntay Jones got a one-game ban just one day earlier for striking Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo in the midsection. The Thunder also sent away several high-percentage interior looks from the Warriors at crucial points in the game – the Kevin Durant block on Shaun Livingston was particularly stunning (the Warriors also blewanumber of relatively open lay-ups on their own).
Klay Thompson tried to lead the Warriors back with a team-leading 26 points, including 19 of them in the third quarter.
“When you get deep in the playoffs, everybody’s good”, Kerr said. He just had a lousy night. Durant stepping aside and letting Westbrook, finally focused for an entire game and without big letdowns, showing that he just might be the best player in this series, even if the MVP is on the other team.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City got a boost from an unlikely source.
Thunder forward Durant scored his points on eight-of-24 shooting from the field, while Serge Ibaka and Andre Roberson each scored 17 points and Steven Adams tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.
“If they are not going to guard me, I am going to stand in the corner shooting threes”, Roberson said. “There’s obviously frustration”, said Curry, who is averaging more than 30 points per game in the series but missed nine of his first 10 shots in Game 4.
When the Warriors were at their most desperate, though, they were the NBA’s best team.
Which means the Warriors’ shot at basketball immortality may rest on their ability to outrebound one of the best rebounding teams in NBA history.
Curry dismissed a question about injuries affecting his performance, saying he felt “fine” physically. Soon, Stephen Curry made his way back to the chair beside him, and the truth was unmistakable: No more countdowns to records, no more bows, no more bouquets.
“I looked like I looked Sunday”, Green said.
When you mix it all together, you get what we’ve seen thus far in this series.
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Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors aren’t ready to throw in the towel. “There’s obviously frustration. It’s a awful feeling not stepping up and being ourselves and playing our game, but I think we’re a special team that this isn’t how we’re going to go out”.
