Here are 10 thoughts on the game:
1) Through much of this season’s 46-4 blitz of the NBA, skeptics have been quick to poke holes in the Warriors’ gaudy record: “Well, they haven’t played anyone yet.” “Wait until they see Lebron and a healthy Irving and Love.” “The Spurs have a higher point differential.” “OKC’s athletes are going to wreak havoc on their defense.” Are the doubters through doubting? Golden State is on pace to win 75 games and has only one legitimate loss (versus Detroit) through 50 games.
2) During this current 9-game win streak, the Warriors have beaten the Spurs, Cavs and Thunder, the teams with the second-, third- and fourth-best records in the league, each on pace to win 59+ games.
3) Curry scored 26 points but needed 25 shots to do it. On a night where his three-point shot went MIA (1-9), the MVP did a masterful job of finding other ways to help his team. He dished the ball for 10 assists and scored 6 crucial points (2 layups and a 17-footer) to keep the Warriors in front down the stretch. He played like an ace pitcher who didn’t have his best stuff, using the threat of his fastball to set up easier scores near the basket.
4) There’s two ways you can look at this game: 1) OKC was right there to win it but got unlucky on a couple of KD misses down the stretch. The Thunder are neck and neck with the Warriors. Or 2) the Warriors shot 26% from deep, with Curry and Klay going 2-of-15 combined; KD and Westbrook totaled 67 points together … and the Warriors still won this game by 8.
5) Draymond was huge again. While playing extended minutes at center against the Adams/Kanter/Ibaka three-headed monster, Dray grabbed 14 rebounds (5 of them coming in the game’s final 4:09). His offensive board in the final minute was the difference maker as it led to a Curry lay-in and a 6-point lead.
6) Kevin Durant always lights up the Warriors. Last season he had 30 in the first half before suffering an ankle injury. In this game he hit for 40 points on 12-of-25 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists. These tall, long-armed, slippery guys (Will Barton, KCP, Rodney Hood, MCW) always give the Warriors trouble on defense. They’re quick enough to slip by Bogut on screens and they’re tall enough to shoot over the Warriors guards in the interior. And if they can shoot from three, then watch out. As a Warriors fan, I’m not looking forward to seeing KD in a 7-game series, but as a basketball fan, nothing could be more entertaining.
7) The bench was superb (42 total points). While Curry and Green sat during the second, the subs, led by Leandro Barbosa (9 points, 6 rebounds), were able to extend a five-point lead to 11 on 7-of-9 shooting. In the fourth, Shaun Livingston scored 7 straight points in a row to keep the Thunder at bay.
8) By jumping like a madman at the inbounder, Steph forced Westbrook to pass the ball towards half court. And with little time left on the clock and receiving the ball too far from the basket to get off a clean look, Waiters got hit with a 24-second violation. These are the little plays that can be the difference in an 8-point game.
9) My immigrant parents would approve of Kyle Singler’s hairstyle. Why pay 20 bucks to the guy at Supercuts when your mom can give you a bowl cut for free in the backyard?
10) Unexpected: On a court with Steph, Draymond, KD and Westbrook, Marresse Speights had a game-high +20 off the bench. Mo finished with 15 points while playing in front of his college coach Billy Donovan. He also hit a three in the second quarter, making him 6-of-10 from deep in the last eight games. (Let’s just agree to forget that Westbrook hunted for him mercilessly four times straight in the pick and roll during the second quarter, producing 6 OKC points and 2 free-throw attempts.)