The Western Conference Finals didn’t end with Game 6, but it sure felt like it.
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The Golden State Warriors look to recover from a 3-1 deficit, when they play Game Seven against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game that will stream live on Monday night – and a game that if the Warriors can win it, will not only send the defending champs back to the NBA Finals for a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but will also make history, with Golden State becoming just the 10th team in NBA history to win a seven-game series after falling behind 3-1. They’re averaging 28 points a piece or more per game this series.
The Thunder better hope Durant does figure things out before Monday’s winner-take-all game.
Oklahoma City dominated Games 3 and 4 at home, but the Warriors made 21 of 44 three-pointers on Saturday, while Oklahoma City was 3 of 23. “I don’t think it is bothering us”, Curry said.
“I’m just so proud of everybody”, Thompson said. “I’m not emotional, actually, during games”. We play it for the energy, and believe it or not we never really doubted ourselves because we’ve been down and out before.
“We had so much more grit, the toughness that was lacking in (lost games) three and four”, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I know what I do for my team and what my teammates expect from me on both ends of the floor”. “One game changes everything, and we’ve got to come out and play our game and play well to finish the series out”. We have competitive guys. Head coach Billy Donovan opened his press conference by expressing unprompted disappointment in Oklahoma City’s offense growing stagnant down the stretch, something atypical since the playoffs started. “Doesn’t win us a ring – we don’t want to pop the champagne or anything. Here’s what we have to do, ‘ and go from there”. Because if they were right, shouldn’t the record-chasing Warriors have been mentally kaput?
“Listen, it doesn’t get any better than that”, he said.
Trailing 89-81 with nine minutes remaining, the Warriors closed with a 27-12 run – 19-5 over the final seven minutes and 12-2 in the last three – in a thriller Thompson and Curry ranked among their greatest wins. I’ll do my job the best I can.
Stephen Curry, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015/2016 season, scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists in the victory.
“Yeah, I’ve been around the league a long time, and it’s right up there (near) the top”, he said. “Down 3-1 on the road, in this type of environment, in two of the loudest buildings I’ve ever been in (Oracle Arena in Game 5 and Chesapeake Arena in Game 6), you’re down the whole game, and then find a way”. But they were confident. They just kept shooting and defending.
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There was Russell Westbrook’s stripped ball, where he dribbled out most of the shot clock only for Andre Iguodala to rip it away after an awkward drive. The shots he made tonight were huge, obviously. Thompson guarded him on plenty of possessions, so has Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green. And as he headed for the exits, he stopped to watch a few moments of the Durant-Russell Westbrook press conference that was still taking place before moving up this mountain they’re all climbing. In fact, they have had 30 of the last 46 days off, plenty of time to recharge.
