How the Thunder have made the Warriors look inferior
OKLAHOMA CITY – They sat on the bench, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, healthy, rested and entirely unneeded. How many times had Golden State been on the delivering end of a shellacking? Plenty. How many of the Warriors' 73 victories ended with their Big Three soaking in the moment? More than a few. So many times Golden State had looked over at an opposing bench for defeated looks, the same looks these Warriors wore over the final 12 minutes of Sunday's 133-105 beating by the Thunder.
"Well, a break here or there, I thought we had them," deadpanned Golden State coach Steve Kerr, though even Kerr could not muster more than a sheepish smile.
Where was the Warriors' confidence? Gone, beaten from them by a relentless performance from Kevin Durant, the one-time MVP, who shook off two subpar games to deliver a 33-point, eight-rebound gem. The accolades have come fast for Curry, deservedly, yet here was Durant, firing in midrange jump shots, steamrolling down the lane for dunks, reminding everyone that any list of the world's best scorers includes him – that the war he once waged with LeBron James for the NBA's most dominant player was ongoing.
Where was the Warriors' swagger? Hijacked, first by Russell Westbrook, who, for the second time this series, has outdueled Curry, the reigning MVP.
"He's a shooter … nothing I haven't seen," Westbrook said of Curry before the series, biting commentary with an implied message that was unmistakable. The voters may have dubbed Curry the best player in the game, but here was Westbrook, hell-bent on proving he was the best point guard on the floor. A 30-point, 12-assist night for Westbrook fed a 13-point, six-rebound game for Andre Roberson which fueled a 13-point, three-assist effort off the bench from Dion Waiters, controlled, complete games that pushed Oklahoma City's lead to as much as 41 points.
Down 2-1, and make no mistake: Golden State has not been here before. Yes, the Warriors fell behind Memphis last year, were blitzed by Cleveland in Game 3 to trail in that series, too. "We have that memory," Kerr said. "I'm confident we are going to come out and play a really good game in Game 4."
Yet the Grizzlies didn't have the firepower to close out Golden State, and the Cavaliers' one-man show was unsustainable. This feels different; this is different. Oklahoma City is overflowing with offensive weapons and plays with the fearlessness of a team that steadfastly believes it should own this moment.
Suddenly, the best team in NBA history looks inferior. Curry and Thompson have been good, yet far from dominating. The quick shots that plagued Golden State in Game 1 returned in Game 3, with the Warriors firing at will, rejecting Kerr's pleas to make the extra pass. Each miss launched Oklahoma City into transition, and the Thunder's near flawless execution (29 fast-break points) seemed to drain Golden State's energy while a pounding half-court attack (62 points in the paint) finished it off.
Said Kerr, "We got what we deserved."
So often the Warriors have leaned on Green to energize them, yet he was a galling minus-43 on Sunday, and that doesn't account for his lowest moment. An errant Green leg connected with Steven Adams' groin in the second quarter, the second time in as many games Green has drilled Adams below the belt. Green claimed the kick was inadvertent. The Thunder, predictably, disagreed.
"Honestly, I think it's intentional," Westbrook said. "That's two times in the last two games. I don't think you can keep kicking somebody in their private areas. He probably said he didn't do it on purpose. But I think the way I look at it, it looks intentional to me."
The referees assessed Green with a flagrant-1 foul, and that's likely where it will end. There will be cries for a suspension, with the one-game ban the NBA recently handed Cleveland's Dahntay Jones for his shot to Bismack Biyombo cited as an example. But the NBA often looks for reasons not to suspend in situations like this, where the player has plausible deniability. Boston's Isaiah Thomas, who seemed to purposefully elbow Atlanta's Dennis Schroder in the first round is an example. Expect Green to play.
And yet: Will it matter? The Warriors have their backs against a wall, facing an opponent that may simply be better. "When we feel threatened, I think everyone raises their level of intensity and their level of play," Thompson said.
They better. Here comes Oklahoma City, with its pair of superstars, its superior depth, its overflowing confidence. Never has Golden State looked so vulnerable. Never have these Warriors looked so mortal.
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