Oklahoma City dominated the defending champions at home, winning decisively in both games. Is the series over for Golden State, or should the Thunder be cautious heading back to Oakland?
Game 3: A hard-fought game into the second quarter blew open with a 16-4 Oklahoma City Thunder run before the half. They hit the Warriors harder than Draymond Green kicked Steven Adams’ groin, and Golden State couldn’t hit back. Draymond looked lifeless, shooting 1-9 en route to a season-low -43 plus/minus. Other than the Splash Brothers, no Warrior scored in double figures. On the other side, the Thunder saw six players hit double digits, led by Kevin Durant’s 33 on 10-15 shooting from the field and 12-12 from the line. Westbrook sniffed yet another triple double with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. The Thunder ended with a 133-105 beatdown of a win.
Game 4: Early in the first quarter, the Warriors held a two-point lead over the Thunder. Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City players turned on the afterburners at that point, going on a 16-0 run to put the game nearly out of reach early. Golden State battled back to keep things interesting, but the Thunder delivered a counter-punch in response to every Warrior run and ultimately won in another blowout, 118-94. Russell Westbrook dropped a line out of a video game, with 36 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, and four steals. Durant chipped in another full stat line with 26 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three huge blocks. Outside of an offensive explosion by Klay Thompson in the third quarter, Golden State’s offense looked weak all night. Thompson finished with 26 points, and Curry and Green combined for 25 points and 12 turnovers.
The Good: During the regular season Billy Donovan was much-maligned for starting Andre Roberson even though Roberson struggled to hit outside shots. Donovan stuck with him, and he has delivered in a huge way this series. In Game 3 Roberson played well, shooting 3-5 from long range en route to an efficient 13 points. In Game 4 the Warriors tried to target him, ignoring Roberson on defense and intentionally fouling him at times. Although Roberson went only 2-8 from the free throw line, Donovan kept him in the game, and he responded with the best game of his career. 17 points on 7-12 shooting, with 12 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks as he continually moved to get open behind the Warriors’ defense and made them pay for focusing on the Thunder’s stars. In a playoffs where the Thunder’s role players have come up big, Roberson took his turn on the pedastal last night.
The Bad: When a 3-seed blows out a 73-win team two games in a row, there is little to complain about. It’s worth crossing to the other team, however, and noting how bad Draymond Green has been for the Warriors over the last two games. The heart of this Warriors team on both ends of the court, Green has looked ineffective and made countless careless mistakes, from losing Roberson on backdoor cuts to casually throwing the ball away on offense. He’s 2-16 from the field combined in Games 3 and 4, with a total of just five assists after averaging 7.4 during the regular season. Overall, he’s a -73 during those two games, the worst on the team. If Green cannot find his fire, this series won’t get back to Oklahoma City.
Looking Ahead: The Thunder head back to Oakland for Game 5 on Thursday night. The Warriors will probably be favored, but that’s based on their body of work and home-court advantage, not on the last two games. If the Thunder’s athleticism and speed continue to unhinge Golden State, the Thunder could close out one of the most unlikely Western Conference Finals victories in five. But if Stephen Curry can shake off the rust or discomfort and get back to his MVP self? This one could be far from over.
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