You can read a report from Game 4 here:
Final thoughts
So, the Golden State Warriors have picked the worst possible time to lose two games in a row for the first time this season. Now, they’re just a game away from elimination. Obviously it’s clear that the Warriors have some issues: Steph Curry doesn’t look healthy and it looks like the Thunder are in Draymond Green’s head. Luckily for them, the game is heading back home for Game 5 on Thursday. Unfortunately for them, they’re going to have to play a lot better than this if they want to prevent it from being their last game.
We’ll continue to have coverage of the NBA playoffs here at the Guardian, but this ends our live coverage for tonight. Thanks to everybody who followed Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals along with us, especially everybody who contributed. Ciao!
The Thunder take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals! NOBODY saw this coming!
Thunder win!
Warriors 94-118 Thunder, FINAL
And that will be the final score! The Thunder win!
Warriors 94-118 Thunder, 1:23, 4th quarter
Dion Waiters makes two free throws, and adds a layup to the final score. Barbosa gets fouled and goes to the line, where he makes one of two free throws. It’s all about the clock right now, though.
Warriors 93-114 Thunder, 2:13, 4th quarter
That flash in the pan is blinding. #GSWvsOKC @HunterFelt
— David Lengel (@LengelDavid) May 25, 2016
Not looking good for the Warriors’ repuation here. Or the Warriors in general. Speights makes a basket here, but we’re just talking final margin at this point.
Warriors 91-114 Thunder, 3:15, 4th quarter
Hey, look there Steph Curry is. He cuts the Thunder lead to… 18 points.
Oh never mind, Roberson answers that with a basket of his own. It’s back to 20.
And then Russell Westbrooks knocks one down from long distance. It’s now 23 points. The Warriors decide to take a timeout here. Kinda can’t blame them, although this one might be out of reach.
Warriors 89-109 Thunder, 4:22, 4th quarter
I seriously cannot believe the Thunder are about to pull this off. I also can’t believe that Curry has been MIA. I mean, it’s understandable if Green has been rattled, but this has been a baffling game for Curry.
Harrison Barnes throws a ball that Durant scoops up. That’s the 20th turnover for the Warriors. Ibaka scores to make it a 20 point Thunder lead.
Warriors 89-107 Thunder, 5:36, 4th quarter
Roberson draws a foul and then gets the ball to Westbrook for a layup. And a few plays later, he goes in for the dunk. Gotta think he’s staying in the starting lineup for the time being.
Warriors 89-103 Thunder, 7:41, 4th quarter
Hey there’s Draymond Green! He gets fouled and makes one of two free throws. Sadly, that’s still one of his offensive highlights of this game.
Roberson makes a layup, he’s been surprisingly effective hasn’t he?
Oh hey there, Curry finally hits a field goal, this a 10-footer.
Warriors 85-101 Thunder, 9:01, 4th quarter
And Durant misses the second free throw! Quality timeout that. Warriors can’t score on their end though but Roberson hits a three pointer though to add to OKC’s lead.
Warriors 85-98 Thunder, 9:30, 4th quarter
Durant gets to the free throw line, that won’t’ hurt his shooting stroke, and makes his first. The Warriors call a full timeout.
Warriors 85-97 Thunder, 11:03, 4th quarter
But Kevin Durant answers right back with a three-pointer of his own. If Durant can find his shot again, the rest of this game might end up just being garbage time.
Warriors 85-94 Thunder, 11:47, 4th quarter
And Klay Thompson’s hot streak continues into the fourth as he starts the scoring in the fourth with a three-ball.
@HunterFelt following the Antipodean battle (Bogut vs Adams) - should support my fellow Aussie but Oklahoma are too good a story (1/2)
— John Palethorpe (@John_Palethorpe) May 25, 2016
@HunterFelt and Adams is a straight-talking/shooting/blocking/defensive genius/savant (2/2)
— John Palethorpe (@John_Palethorpe) May 25, 2016
Thunder definitely look to be in control, still.
Warriors 82-94 Thunder, end of the 3rd quarter
Barnes gets to the line and makes two free throws. Kevin Durant (finally) hits a shot. Enes Kanter gets to the line and makes… one free throw. Still not his greatest series, to say the least. Neither team can score in the quarter’s final seconds.
Warriors 80-91 Thunder, 1:47, 3rd quarter
But the Warriors punch back. Iguodala with a three. Westbrook responds with a two.
Warriors 77-89 Thunder, 2:18, 3rd quarter
Shaun Livingston hits a shot close to the rim, cutting into that Thunder lead but Steven Adams dunks on the other end.
And then Dion Waiters hits a three.
Warriors 75-84 Thunder, 3:15, 3rd quarter
Ezeli gets into the game and Waiters fouls him. You know how this goes. Ezeli misses the first one badly... but, hey, makes the second.
Warriors 74-84 Thunder, 3:54, 3rd quarter
And Thompson hits a layup. The good news for the Thunder is that he’s called for his fourth foul. Kerr keeps him in the game though, realizing how hot he is.
Adams makes both of his free throws. Then Westbrook hits a basket that forces the Warriors to call a time out.
Warriors 72-80 Thunder, 5:16, 3rd quarter
Westbrook gets back on the line, the foul’s on Green, and adds two points that it looks like the Thunder will desperately need with Thompson this hot as he immediately gets those points back.
Warriors 70-78 Thunder, 6:11, 3rd quarter
Westbrook hits a jumper to cut the bleeding, but Thompson immediately answers with a basket to cut the lead back to 8 points.
Warriors 68-76 Thunder, 6:54, 3rd quarter
And it’s a third straight three-pointer from Thompson! It’s only a 8 point Thunder lead.
Updated
Warriors 65-76 Thunder, 7:58, 3rd quarter
Westbrook’s on the line now, foul on Curry, he makes both. But Klay Thompson is on fire, making two straight 24-footers to cut into the Thunder lead.
Updated
Warriors 59-74 Thunder, 9:18, 3rd quarter
Durant misses a jumper, but gets his own rebound and makes the follow-up. That’s the first points for the Thunder in this half but the Thunder put Thompson back on the line. He hits both.
Updated
Warriors 57-72 Thunder, 9:55, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt Cant watch but following the blog. Whats going on with GSW defence?? Allowing 72 points in a half? Yikes!
— RabbleRabble (@rablrablrabl) May 25, 2016
It feels like a lot of it is that Green, their defensive cog, looks nothing like the player he’s been all year. Without him, this looks a lot like the Don Nelson era Warriors.
Thompson gets on the line here, the foul’s on Roberson, and makes two free throws.
Updated
Second half begins!
Warriors 55-72 Thunder, 10:15, 3rd quarter
Bogut tips in a missed Draymond Green three pointer to start the second half scoring and then... nothing on either side for about a minute. The Thunder take this opportunity to take a timeout.
Updated
Here’s a good idea for the Thunder: keep Durant on Curry. I came up with this all by myself.
Stephen Curry is 0-3 against Kevin Durant as the primary defender. In the series, Curry is 1-8 with 4 TOs against KD as the primary defender
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 25, 2016
Okay I may be basing this entire on spotting this stat on my Twitter timeline, but still...
Meanwhile Draymond Green...
Has four points, and has gone 1 for 4 on shot attempts. But he does have six rebounds and two assists? And he has not gone after any opponent’s genitalia. So, it could be worse, I suppose...
I should use this space to note that if anybody else has their thoughts on how the Thunder have built this 19 point lead and what the Warriors could do in response, we’re always open to presenting your commentary here in this liveblog. You can email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet @HunterFelt.
Halftime thoughts
Okay, Durant and Westbrook are Oklahoma City’s leading scorers at the half, but that’s to be expected. Ibaka has 15 points and 5 rebounds in the first half, and if you want to look at how exactly the Thunder are outplaying the Warriors, a lot of it has to do with the fact that Ibaka is playing like he’s the team’s third star.
Halftime!
The Thunder have a 19 point halftime lead over the Warriors!
Um, so much for this being a “tight, close game most of the way through.”
Warriors 53-72 Thunder, end of the 2nd quarter
Curry makes a three pointer to cut into the...
Oh nevermind, Westbrook responds with a three-pointer of his own. Sure, why not?
And that does it for scoring in the first half! Curry’s last second three-pointer’s no good and we have halftime!
Warriors 50-69 Thunder, 1:04, 2nd quarter
Ibaka makes two free throws after being fouled. He then blocks Green’s jumper but Iguodala manages to tip it in. Roberson then gets on the line, where he makes one of two free throws.
Thunder call a timeout, presumably to give any bloggers a chance to catch up.
Warriors 48-66 Thunder, 1:40, 2nd quarter
Westbrook hits a three. Curry turns the ball over. Ibaka hits another shot. It’s a 20 point lead.
Thunder fans start doing the “Seven Nation Army” chant and are rightfully and promptly punished with a Curry layup.
Warriors 46-61 Thunder, 2:47, 2nd quarter
Finally Curry breaks things up by making a shot for the Warriors, but Ibaka (man we should talk about Ibaka during halftime) hits a three!
The good news for Golden State is that Ezeli gets to the line and finally makes one (as in a single) free throw.
Warriors 43-58 Thunder, 3:47, 2nd quarter
Ibaka fouls Ezeli who is back on the free throw line, and misses both free throws again. Westbrook finds Durant for a basket and the Thunder lead grows.
Warriors 43-56 Thunder, 4:05, 2nd quarter
And then all hell breaks loose. Roberson with a layup, Westbrook with a layup, Adams with a beautiful pass to Roberson for a dunk. The Warriors with a mercy timeout!
Warriors 43-50 Thunder, 5:03, 2nd quarter
Curry misses a three pointer, but Iguodala gets the rebound and the second chance score.
Ibaka does something similar with a missed Durant layup on the other end for the Thunder. Adams then fouls Curry, whose been surprisingly quiet this game, who his one of two free throws.
Updated
Warriors 40-48 Thunder, 6:01, 2nd quarter
The Warriors timeout ends and Adams hits his shot. Then, the Thunder put Ezeli on the line. This is...
Not that fun, honestly!
Ezeli would agree, mostly because he misses both.
Updated
Warriors 40-47 Thunder, 6:03, 2nd quarter
Bogut hits another layup. Westbrook responds by hitting a jumper and... hey it’s Bogut vs Adams. In this case, the call goes against Bogut. Adams makes the first free throw and the Warriors, perhaps getting annoyed at continually seeing the Thunder lining up for free throws, call a timeout.
Updated
Warriors 38-44 Thunder, 6:52, 2nd quarter
Klay Thompson gets called for his third foul, which puts Westbrook on the line. He makes both free throws. Andrew Bogut makes a shot to let the Warriors creep back in, but Curry gets called for a foul which puts Westbrook on the line once again. That’s two more free points for Westbrook.
Updated
Warriors 36-40 Thunder, 8:11, 2nd quarter
Durant is called for a foul that puts Green on the line. You’ll never believe this, but the crowd is booing him. It doesn’t affect his free throws, he makes both.
Westbrook makes a driving layup, which is good for the Thunder.
But then Barnes makes a three, which is less good.
Warriors 31-38 Thunder, 8:45, 2nd quarter
Westbrook makes a shot. Then Durant with a steal... and he gets fouled on the other side. That’s two more free throw attempts for Durant, and, yep, two more makes.
Warriors 31-34 Thunder, 9:18, 2nd quarter
Speights gets on the line and gets one of two free throws. He then gets a steal...
And throws it way. He’s so close to taking this game over, yet so far away. Here comes Barnes to replace him.
Warriors 30-34 Thunder, 9:56, 2nd quarter
i think enes kanter actually died after game one and now we've just got a Weekend At Bernie's situation going on now
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) May 25, 2016
Out of the timeout, Durant draws a foul. Not the most audience-thrilling “out of timeout play” but it works, as Durant makes both of his free throws.
Warriors 30-32 Thunder, 10:07, 2nd quarter
And Speights makes a shot. As does Klay Thompson and, hey, it’s a one possession game again!
Warriors 26-32 Thunder, 11:10, 2nd quarter
Draymond Green had the best plus-minus in the NBA during the regular season (plus-1070). Games 3 and 4 so far: minus-56.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 25, 2016
That’s not great for Golden State.
Meanwhile, the second quarter starts with neither team able to score until Marreese Speights, just in the game, gets called for a foul on Durant. Durant makes both free throws.
Updated
Warriors 26-30 Thunder, end of the 1st quarter
Adams blocks Curry... but Ezeli gets the rebound and the second chance basket. Roberson misses a layup on the other end and, after everything the Thunder did right in the opening quarter, it’s just a four point game.
Updated
Warriors 24-30 Thunder, :51, 1st quarter
Ezeli makes a layup. The Warriors could also use a few of those as well, sure.
Warriors 22-30 Thunder, 1:13, 1st quarter
Andre Iguodala with a three. The Warriors are going to have to start getting hot again at long distance shots to keep in this game.
We know they’re capable.
Warriors 19-30 Thunder, 2:09, 1st quarter
I’m still a little shocked on the run the Thunder went on earlier in this quarter. They apparently caught the Warriors stunned.
Durant hits a jumper coming out of the timeout to push the Thunder lead back into double-digits.
Warriors 19-28 Thunder, 2:36, 1st quarter
And now it’s OKC turning the ball over. Andre Iguodala snatches the ball away from Durant and Shaun Livingston converts it into a layup on the other end.
Now it’s time for the Thunder to call a timeout.
Warriors 17-28 Thunder, 3:08, 1st quarter
Adams makes a basket to add to the Thunder lead. He then gets fouled by Festus Ezeli, and makes one of two free throws on the line.
Ezeli scores over Adams immediately afterwards, however.
Warriors 15-25 Thunder, 4:41, 1st quarter
Randy Foye is in for the Thunder and he puts Curry on the line for three free throws. He manages to miss one of them, so not a complete disaster for OKC. Roberson hits another shot, adding to the Thunder leader.
Except, Foye fouls Curry once again, and he makes two more free throws to cut into the Thunder lead. Steven Adams comes in to relieve Foye of his duties..
Warriors 11-23 Thunder, 5:16, 1st quarter
Curry hits a three out of the timeout. They needed that.
Iguodala puts Andre Roberson on the line, where he hits one of two free throws.
Warriors 8-22 Thunder, 5:41, 1st quarter
That’s exactly how OKC needed to play to start this game off if they can keep it...
Oh, Ibaka hits a jumper. Oh and then Curry gets robbed by Durant, who gets it to Westbrook for a dunk.
Oh god this is getting bloody. Westbrook steals away an ill-advised Curry pass and gets it to Ibaka.... who misses.
BUT THEN GREEN TURNS IT OVER! WESTBROOK WITH A THREE! Warriors have to call another timeout!
Warriors 8-15 Thunder, 7:03, 1st quarter
Durant gets fouled and gets on the line, where he hits both free throws. Green misses a three-pointer for Golden State, while Westbrook assists Durant for a basket.
Iguodala then misses for he Warriors, which is immediately followed by a Dion Waiters three-pointer and a time out for Golden State.
Warriors 8-8 Thunder, 8:04, 1st quarter
Ibaka, starting the game on a hot streak, ties things up with a jumper.
Except Barnes quickly un-ties it with a basket of his own.
And Durant re-ties it with a 7-footer. Both offenses fairly warm here early.
Warriors 6-4 Thunder, 9:40, 1st quarter
Serge Ibaka makes a layup over Bogut to briefly give the Thunder a lead. But Harrison Barnes dunks on the other end to re-tie the game.
Bogut gets called for a foul on the other end, but Curry steals the ball back for Golden State and Barnes makes a shot to give Golden State a lead.
Warriors 2-2 Thunder, 10:45, 1st quarter
And Klay Thompson ties things up with a jumper.
Warriors 0-2 Thunder, 11:25, 1st quarter
Curry misses a three pointer. Then Green and Adams get entangled and... the foul is on Green. That’s number one already. Adams makes two free throws and the Thunder strike first.
Opening tip!
Warriors 0-0 Thunder, 12:00, 1st quarter
Green wins the tip! We’re off!
We’re getting close to opening tip everyone! Very soon we will have actual basketball to talk to as opposed to... well that other kind of ball talk that we’ve mostly been doing these past 48 hours.
Thunder starting lineup
Kevin Durant, F
Serge Ibaka, F
Steven Adams, C
Andre Roberson, G
Russell Westbrook, G
So, yeah, no changes on either side tonight.
Warriors starting lineup
Harrison Barnes, F
Draymond Green, F
Andrew Bogut, C
Klay Thompson, G
Stephen Curry, G
Hey NBA Twitter account, not sure that this is the ideal #content you want to be sharing considering the main narrative of tonight’s game.
Tunnel stretching for the @warriors! Game 4 is NEXT on TNT #WCF #NBAVine https://t.co/aSug4GYoLI
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2016
Note on Draymond Green:
While Green is playing in today’s game, he might not finish it. His Game 3 foul (you know, the one involving the opponent’s groin) was upgraded to a flagrant 2 which means that he’s on thin ice for this game, one more flagrant foul means he’s out for the game.
Also the Thunder apparently understand why the NBA decided not to suspend Green.
Kevin Durant on no Draymond Green suspension: "The league is about business. I get it. There's no hard feelings." pic.twitter.com/J9ohlMQquX
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 24, 2016
Updated
Predictions
Yes, it’s predictions time. While I suppose the fact that my opinion will be somewhat devalued by the fact that I’m clinging to “Cavaliers in 5” as a workable prediction even after the Raptors have made a Game 6 necessary.
So feel free to dismiss my prediction here, but you really should think twice before dismissing PAST PRECEDENT. See, the Warriors have not lost two games in a row at any point this season, it’s hard to imagine that this will continue, especially not after they were completely and utterly embarrassed in Game 3. I expect Golden State to play one of their most complete games of the postseason tonight. The Warriors are winning by double digits tonight, and that’s not me saying that, it’s HISTORY.
Your thoughts? Email your predictions here to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt.
Eastern Conference Finals update
Okay, I’m obligated to discuss the Eastern Conference Finals, I suppose. Last night the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-99 to tie up the series 2-2, an event that I honestly refuse to even acknowledge. The Cavaliers are still going to find a way to win this in five games, despite the fact that it’s a mathematical impossibility. The Raptors are going to find a way to lose Game 5 in such a way that it will count as two losses thus ending the series.
Note on the text: We have decided to go with “groin” when describing exactly where Draymond Green made contact with Steven Adams’s anatomy. As you can see from this graph from 538, this seems to be the consensus term:
Q: Where did Draymond Green kick Steven Adams?
— Carl Bialik (@CarlBialik) May 24, 2016
A: In Chesapeake Energy Arenahttps://t.co/95VLNNSN3Q pic.twitter.com/np3rZgjzfJ
Preamble
Welcome to our liveblog of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors. Improbably, some might say, the Thunder have a very real chance of taking a 3-1 series lead over a Warriors team coming off the greatest regular season in NBA history.
Of course, the Thunder would have a somewhat better chance at pulling that off if the league had decided to suspend the Warriors’ Draymond Green for kicking Steven Adams in the unmentionables during Sunday night’s Game 2. Even though the NBA’s decision to allow Green to play came down last night, there’s still plenty of controversy surrounding it (particularly for Thunder fans). Was it the right decision?
Honestly, it might depend on what definition of the phrase “right decision” we’re working with here. Now, if we’re looking at it from an ethical standpoint, and factor in the fact that the NBA had just suspended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Dahntay Jones for a similar incident, it’s pretty easy to argue that the league is acting unfairly in this case. If you want to look at this from the perspective of “is the NBA doing the right thing as an employer,” yeah this probably isn’t the best look.
Here’s the thing: suspending Green for Game 4 would have been a hard sell from a competitive standpoint. Jones’s suspension wasn’t likely to have any lingering effect on Cavaliers/Raptors, but it absolutely would have made a massive difference to remove Green for a game in this series. Heck, just from an entertainment perspective, this game feels like a much bigger deal with Green than it would without him. That had to factor in the NBA’s decision. Having Green playing here at Chesapeake Energy Arena, surrounded by rightfully upset fans… this is theater at its highest level.
Of course, the worst possible result would be for the “potential for chaos” to transform into “actual chaos.” One hopes that the officials have been properly prepared to take control of this game should things get too physical. Obviously, that shouldn’t be a factor if the game remains tight for all four quarters. Should the score get out of hand, well… Let’s not think about that. (Just to be on the safe side, Adams has contemplated wearing, er, protective gear for tonight’s game.)
Ultimately, neither team can afford to drop this game. Should the Thunder lose, the Warriors tie up the series and just need to win out on home to advance to the NBA Finals. Should the Warriors lose, the Thunder have a 3-1 series lead and put the Warriors a loss away from elimination. Neither side is going to look for an opportunity to pull anything shady off.
One assumes.
After all, even if everyone is on their best behavior tonight, there’s more than enough drama here. As always, we are looking for your contributions throughout this liveblog. Email us your questions, comments, vaguely tasteful jokes (to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com) or tweet them at us (to @HunterFelt). Opening tip is scheduled for shortly after 9:00pm EST, but we’ll be back well before then. It’s the Golden State Warriors (1-2) vs the Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1) at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals!
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Les Carpenter on why Golden State dodged disaster when Draymond Green escaped a ban:
Green’s protests, along with the fact the game officials called Green’s kneeing a Flagrant 1 instead of the more serious Flagrant 2, probably saved him from suspension. In keeping him on the floor for Tuesday night’s Game 4, the NBA gave the Warriors their biggest break of the Western Conference finals. They allowed Golden State to have their “edge” in a game they almost have to win if they want to keep the dreams of a second title alive.
The Thunder have definitely hit the Warriors hard in this series. Golden State had worried about this matchup, knowing how rugged and defensive-minded Oklahoma City had become. Through three games, they have not found an antidote for the aggressiveness of the Thunder’s new style – especially down low, where Adams has gone from a center with big elbows to a more complete playerwho can switch on screens to challenge players like Curry and Thompson.
Oklahoma City have taken open shots from the Warriors shooters. They have disrupted the rhythm of a machine that stormed through the regular season. The shots Curry and Thompson are taking now feel forced, pushed up a second or two earlier than they have all year, because the Thunder have been so effective at rattling their offense.
Golden State absolutely needs Green if they are going to come back in this series. It’s hard to imagine the NBA would have pulled him off the floor for Game 4. That would have been a near-death sentence for the league’s most sellable asset right now. When under control, Green’s fury is the essential ingredient that makes the Warriors work as well as they have the last two seasons. Curry is their spiritual leader, but Green is the player who will scream in the locker room and physically challenge anyone on the court. Golden State dodged disaster when the league didn’t suspend him.
