The Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the defending champs, winning in Oakland in Game 1. But the Golden State Warriors punched back hard to even the series.
Game 1: If momentum between games actually exists, then the Thunder rode it into Oracle Arena. Russell Westbrook played like a man possessed, nailing heat check three-pointers and drawing foul after foul en route to a 19-point third quarter and 27 points overall. Kevin Durant struggled to hit shots, finishing 10-30 for 26 points, but his pull-up midrange jumper with 30.7 seconds remaining put away the Dubs for good. Steven Adams was again a dominant force, finishing with a 16 point, 12 rebound double-double and a game-high +19. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all scored over 20, but no bench player contributed more than six and the Warriors lost their lead and the first game, 108-102.
Game 2: The Warriors had not lost back-to-back games all season going into Wednesday, and were facing the worst possible time to break that streak: no team in NBA history had ever come back from an 0-2 deficit at home. When Kevin Durant poured in 16 second-quarter points it looked like the Thunder might be able to grab hold of another road win and put the series away. Then the third quarter, and Steph Curry, happened. The two-time MVP outscored the Thunder 15-2 in just a handful of minutes, draining shots from all over the court. Seven Warriors scored in double figures, including three bench players. None of the Thunder role players stepped up, as Westbrook (16 points) and Durant (29) were the only players to score in double figures. The Warriors rolled to a 118-91 win that was closer than the final score suggests.
The Good: Oklahoma City stole back home court, winning Game 1 even without stellar shooting nights from its stars. The role players have continued to step up, and Waiters was magnificent on defense, a mind-blowing thing to say. Steven Adams combines the best features of Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli, and he dominated the glass and paint during Game 1.
The Bad: Steph Curry woke up. The Thunder got to face still-recovering Curry in Game 1, and they took advantage and stole a win. But Curry shook off any rust clinging to him and dominated the court Wednesday night, evening the series and showing why he, and not Durant or Westbrook, is the MVP. If they are unable to contain him moving forward, the Thunder may as well pack up shop.
Looking Ahead: There is a long layoff until Game 3 on Sunday, giving the teams time to get healthy. Billy Donovan has to make two crucial decisions between now and then. First, does he fully commit to playing “big” with Enes Kanter and Adams together, even if Golden State has their Death Lineup deployed? Serge Ibaka has been hapless through two games and may need his minutes reduced going forward. The other decision Donovan must make is how to defend Curry and keep him from getting open. This is the million dollar question, and if Donovan can’t figure it out, he will be spending June at home on his couch. If the Thunder can win at least one of the next two games at home, they prolong the series and make a title run a realistic goal.
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