Oklahoma City Thunder 133 — Golden State Warriors 105
Oklahoma City leads series 2-1, Game 4 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City
Tonight….Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the two best basketball players in the world.
Period.
Tonight, in this Game 3, they didn’t just run with the defending champion Warriors, they ran the defending champs out of Chespeake Energy Arena.
But it wasn’t just Durant and Westbrook doing it alone which made this beautiful, it was the way they morphed their games seamlessly with their teammates as they went about the business of humiliating the Warriors in front of the basketball world.
They ran in transition. The ball moved. Six Thunder players scored in double figures. The Thunder whipped the Warriors on the boards. Turnovers were not an issue.
Russell Westbrook played a near perfect game at the point. Kevin Durant took care of the ball and finished. Andre Roberson made shots. Serge Ibaka roared like the finger wagging lion of past. Steven Adams played well enough until he again was cheap shotted in the balls by Draymond Green. Dion Waiters was rock solid. Enes Kanter did his job.
As far as Draymond Green, at some point, a Thunder player is going to have to put him down on the floor hard. Don’t get ejected or suspended hard, but put down hard on the floor with a tough playoff foul. His bullshit the last two games cannot go unanswered. Foye is a tough little bastard—he could do it. Derek Fisher would have already kicked his ass.
But on this night, OKC absorbed Draymond Green acting like a punk and used it as the catalyst to embarrass Steve Kerr and his defending champions in front of the basketball world.
On this night, the Thunder were a smart team….. and the best team in the world.
One game means nothing in playoff basketball. OKC’s road map to beating the Warriors and advancing is predicated on winning at home in Games 3, 4, and 6.
Tuesday night is an absolute must win for the Thunder. In essence, an introverted elimination game for the Thunder.
Tonight was beautiful. The Thunder played like we know they can play.
In OKC’s last nine games, they’re 6-3 versus the Spurs and Warriors. No fluke attached. The USA hockey team only had to beat the Soviets once. The Thunder know what they’re capable of achieving.
When the Thunder play the right way they’re every bit the team the Warriors are and maybe even better. But only when they play smart basketball for forty-eight minutes.
Only then.
Mike Jackson