Final thoughts
I said it before the game, it felt like this was the Game 7. Obviously, if the Warriors lost, they would have been eliminated. The Thunder, on the other hand, have to be major underdogs now. Not only do they have to absorb this loss but they’re going to be playing at Golden State’s home court, and we’ve seen how dangerous the Warriors can be at home.
Still, the Thunder have been defying odds throughout these playoffs and if any team can pull off the Game 7 road victory, it’s this Oklahoma City team. I almost wish it were starting right now, but instead we’re going to have to wait a few days here. While you should stick with the Guardian for further coverage of the exciting conclusion of the Western Conference Finals. This does, however, mark the end of tonight’s live coverage. I want to thank everyone who followed along with Game 6 with us tonight, especially those who contributed! Ciao!
The Golden State Warriors have forced a Game 7 which will take place at Oracle Arena on Monday. The Oklahoma City Thunder have to be absolutely stunned. What a comeback, what a game. Final thoughts coming.
Warriors win!
Warriors 108-101 Thunder, FINAL
It’s looking more and more like we’re going to get a Game 7 here. That’s not what the Thunder wanted. They take a timeout and try to come up with a plan. Westbrook…. gets the ball taken away from him by Steph. Westbrook fouls Curry, they had one to give, and then Durant fouls Thompson to stop the clock. Thompson makes both free throws.
He hits both. And that’s going to do it for scoring. The Warriors have pulled off the comeback! They have forced Game 7!
Warriors 106-101 Thunder, :14, 4th quarter
Igudala’s strip was the key to that big time play. After a review, Westbrook is called for a turnover that gives the Warriors the ball. Thompson for Number 12:
And he misses. Thunder recover, EXCEPT IGUODALA KNOCKS AWAY THE BALL! WARRIORS’ BALL! DRAYMOND GREEN BANKS IT IN!
Warriors 104-101 Thunder, 1:35, 4th quarter
IT’S NOT TIED ANYMORE! IGUODALA WITH A STEAL! TO KLAY THOMPSON! THREE POINTER FROM KLAY THOMPSON! HIS 11th!
Warriors 101-101 Thunder, 2:05, 4th quarter
Thunder take a full timeout here, as you would expect. Out of the timeout…. Westbrook misses a layup… but they get a few extra chances as Roberson actually gets it back and gets it down the net, that unties the game.
For a few seconds at least, Iguodala makes a layup and we’re tied again.
Warriors 99-99 Thunder, 2:47, 4th quarter
Thompson is called for a foul on Westbrook, that’s absolutely not what the Warriors needed here. Westbrook makes two free throws. Thunder extend the lead back to three points.
Iguodala misses a three, not the shot the Warriors wanted there. Ibaka with the rebound, but Durant throws the ball away… Barnes gets it to Steph Curry
WHO HITS A THREE POINTER AND WE ARE TIED! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Warriors 96-97 Thunder, 3:58, 4th quarter
Curry with a three pointer! Oh wow does it feel super-super-super tenuous now.
Warriors 93-97 Thunder, 4:31 4th quarter
That was Thompson’s 10th three pointer. Just ridiculous. Oh hey, this time around it’s Steven Adams fouling Green. Green makes one of two free throws. The Thunder lead feels tenuous here.
Warriors 92-97 Thunder, 4:48 4th quarter
Adams makes one of two free throws. When the Warriors get the ball, Thompson makes a driving layup, answered quickly by Durant.
And then Thompson hits a killer three-pointer. They’re absolutely relentless here.
But a Curry personal foul does but Roberson on the line, where he makes one of two free throws so the Thunder can make up a point.
Warriors 87-93 Thunder, 5:48 4th quarter
Adams makes a shot, extending the Thunder lead. But Barnes, oh hey there Barnes, Barnes makes a three pointer and it’s just a four point game. Way too close for comfort.
Westbrook agrees, driving by the Warriors defense to make a layup. And then Green picks up his fifth foul, and guess who draws it?
Yep, that would be Adams. The Warriors take a full time out.
Warriors 84-89 Thunder, 7:54, 4th quarter
For once, the Thunder don’t score coming out of a timeout, missing several opportunities after a rare Westbrook miss.
Warriors 84-89 Thunder, 8:37, 4th quarter
Warriors put Westbrook on the line, he hits both. Thunder’s free throw shooting has definitely been an advantage for them all series long.
And Westbrook’s been pretty good with the costly ones as well, as he grabs the ball after a Durant block on Green and scores.
The Thunder should be comfortable here but they have zero answers for Klay Thompson who makes his 9th three-pointer. They take a full timeout.
Warriors 81-85 Thunder, 9:53, 4th quarter
Klay Thompson with his 8th three pointer of the game! How hot has he been?
Warriors 78-85 Thunder, 10:48, 4th quarter
Oh hey there’s Marreese Speights doing things… unfortunately in this case it’s getting called for an offensive foul for wrapping up with Morrow. And then he fouls Durant on the way to the basket. He makes both.
Warriors 78-83 Thunder, 11:26, 4th quarter
Thompson opens the fourth quarter with a three pointer. Warriors desperately needed that.
Thunder are 12 minutes away from a return to the NBA Finals. Can they hang on here? Should be a killer fourth quarter no matter what. (Note: this was not something I think I ever said at any point of the Eastern Conference Finals.)
Warriors 75-83 Thunder, end of the 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt staying 5pts in it and #curry has is eye in. #WARRIORSvTHUNDER #warriors and still sticking to my first post.
— Fingers Crossed (@StGeorge_Abroad) May 29, 2016
The Thunder can’t be comfortable right here, that’s for sure, but Kanter hitting the last shot of the third quarter, after rebounding an Anthony Morrow miss, should be somewhat settling.
Warriors 75-81 Thunder, 1:55, 3rd quarter
Ibaka gets to the line, makes one of two free throws. Bogut gets to the line and makes nada. Kanter is here to do what he can do, which is score in a pinch, hitting a jumper. This gets the Warriors to call a 20 second timeout.
Warriors 75-78 Thunder, 2:29, 3rd quarter
And Green once again fumbles things. Westbrook picks off his bad pass and, on the other end, Green picks up his fourth foul of the game. It puts Durant on the line and the only good news here for Golden State is that Durant misses one of two.
Iguodala comes in to relieve Green.
Warriors 75-77 Thunder, 3:02, 3rd quarter
Thunder would like a stop here, but that’s complicated by the fact that they have an Enes Kanter, who instead puts Steph on the line where he makes both. Two point game, this is starting to look dicey here for OKC.
Warriors 73-77 Thunder, 3:13, 3rd quarter
Curry hits a shot out of timeout here. And he adds a layup to it. Okay, the Thunder should be deeply worried about Curry having one of those halves at this point.
Russell Westbrook, however, has been scoring all game. he makes a 12 footer here to increase the lead and is fouled on the play.
Of course he makes the free throw.
Warriors 69-74 Thunder, 4:12, 3rd quarter
Curry gets to the line, foul goes on Durant, and he makes two free throws. Durant, fouled by Iguodala on the other end, makes only one of two free throws.
Curry with another three, okay the dude might be back here. Durant is also playing better this second half, he responds with a three pointer.
And there’s Curry going for another one… but he misses this time around. A three point contest almost just broke out here.
And a foul wipes away a Thunder basket. Warriors take this as an opportunity to take a time out.
Warriors 64-70 Thunder, 5:35, 3rd quarter
Festus Ezeli is in for his expected cameo dunk of the game. The Warriors desperately need that to halt the Thunder run. There’s actually a brief stretch here where neither team scores. Giving my poor nearly-on-fire laptop a chance to cool down just slightly. Then Roberson adds to the Thunder’s lead
Email from C P, subject line “Warriors”:
Warriors Missing David Lee more than they thought they might.
Sent from my subliminal conscience
Warriors 62-68 Thunder, 6:48, 3rd quarter
Curry hits a three. That’s encouraging for Golden State. Not much encouraging comes for them from this point forward. Durant hits a bucket, Westbrook gets to the line, the foul’s on Curry, making both. Adams gets fouled on the way to a successful layup and makes his free throw to complete the old school three.
Warriors 59-61 Thunder, 8:32, 3rd quarter
Green gives the Warriors a lead, but only briefly, Durant hits a jumper, Curry misses a three. Westbrook scores yet again.
Warriors 57-57 Thunder, 9:56, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt #WARRIORSvTHUNDER #steveKerr aged 20 years in the Thunders' series
— Letizia Bruni (@Rey_k73) May 29, 2016
I’ve kinda felt the same just liveblogging it. Iguodala hits a free throw, which is Oklahoma City’s cue to call a time out. When action resumes, Iguodala misses the second. Tied game.
Warriors 56-57 Thunder, 10:00, 3rd quarter
Thompson misses a layup here, half going in for a dunk. Roberson makes a layup on the other end. That’s not the best swing there.
But Green pulls off a steal on Durant and gives the Warriors a one point lead. Bogut blocks Durant on the other end. This is how the Warriors are going to need to play.
Second half begins!
Warriors 54-55, 11:00, 3rd quarter
Thompson starts the third quarter with two straight three quarters! That’s what the Warriors needed. Westbrook responds quickly with a driving layup.
Second half action is about to begin here and things are heating up. Most notably, my laptop because I’m liveblogging this is 90 degree weather and I have no AC. But the basketball should be good too.
If the Warriors are going to rely on Barnes and a shaky Steph, they're going to end up committing ... Harry-Curry.
— Steve McPherson (@steventurous) May 29, 2016
Now that I have a second to breathe, I suppose I should remind everyone that you can send your thoughts via email (Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com) or Twitter (@HunterFelt).
@HunterFelt keep the #WARRIORSvTHUNDER scores posted its a #WARRIORS night
— Fingers Crossed (@StGeorge_Abroad) May 29, 2016
I’m not 100% sure that it is a Warriors night, although they have to be happy that they’re still very much in this despite Curry’s baffling start. Just nine points in the entire first half (none of which came in the first quarter) although he’s credited for 7 rebounds and 3 assists as well, so he’s been contributing here. They’re gonna need MVP Curry if they want to live to see a Game 7.
Halftime
The Thunder lead the Warriors by five points at the half, and, honestly, they’re lucky they’re only down that far. What a strange, strange game this has been.
End of the first half
Warriors 48-53 Thunder, end of the 2nd quarter
And, say it along with me, Thunder score after a timeout. Westbrook scores over Iguodala. Chesapeake gets loud, but they’re momentarily quieting by a Harrison Barnes layup. AND A WHISTLE.
He makes his and one. Westbrook misses a layup and that’s the end of the first half!
Warriors 45-49 Thunder, :32, 2nd quarter
For those who don’t believe in momentum, this might make help your case: Ibaka stuffs a Durant missed-three into the basket.
Curry gets called for a foul, he misses the first free throw. The Thunder take a twenty second timeout. When play resumes, Curry… misses the second? Wow.
Warriors 45-49 Thunder, :54, 2nd quarter
Iguodala is on the line here, and he makes one of two. Then, Green IMMEDIATELY gets called for a foul, which the crowd always loves. they don’t really love the fact that Ibaka misses both.
POSSIBLE MOMENTUM SHIFT (if you believe that these are actual things). Curry hits a 27-foot three pointer.
Warriors 41-49 Thunder, 1:20, 2nd quarter
Bogut blocks Adams’s layup, but the Warriors can’t get the rebound, which goes right to Ibaka who makes the layup and gets fouled by Adams along the way. He makes his “and one.” Warriors did just about everything they could do, but just didn’t get the bounces.
And then Barnes turns the ball over. He didn’t do everything he could do.
Warriors 41-46 Thunder, 1:53, 2nd quarter
Kevin Durant to the line, have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more of these for the next few minutes. Durant makes both.
Next up comes Bogut to the line, he makes one of two.
Warriors 40-44 Thunder, 2:09, 2nd quarter
Westbrook gets to the line for there free throws. Warriors dodge a bullet as he makes only one of three.
The Thunder get the rebound, thanks to feisty Steven Adams, but Ibaka’s three pointer is a no-go.
Klay Thompson’s, however, is straight and true. Four point game.
Warriors 37-43 Thunder, 2:51, 2nd quarter
You won’t believe this but the Thunder once again score out of a timeout. Kevin Durant with a dunk this time. He’s starting to heat up.
Curry might be as well. He gets fouled outside the three-point line and makes all three. Thunder’s lead is just six.
Warriors 34-41 Thunder, 3:35, 2nd quarter
Klay Thompson with a three, the Warriors are going to need a few more of those.
And Klay obliges by hitting another one. Plus, Durant has picked up two questionable fouls. Things turning at all here for Golden State?
Warriors 28-41 Thunder, 4:43, 2nd quarter
And we’re back and so’s Durant. Westbrook sets him up for an easy score and Oklahoma City expands its lead.
Warriors 28-39 Thunder, 4:54, 2nd quarter
Durant misses again. What a weird game for the two best players on each team. Iguodala with a layup, Steven Adams with a dunk over Draymond (the crowd appreciates this). Curry misses a three-pointer, Durant makes a jumper, Green loses the ball out of bands.
Absolutely disastrous sequence there for the Warriors. We have a timeout.
Warriors 26-35 Thunder, 7:05, 2nd quarter
Well that’s a start. Curry with a three-pointer.
@HunterFelt why does Kerr run those lineups without Curry, Green or Thompson?
— Joe Chilton (@Chipchop17) May 29, 2016
It’s a fair enough question, you’d think you’d want at least one of those guys on the floor at all times. Probably has something to do with playing the bench like its own unit?
And there Roberson dunks almost immediately, that’s a nice momentum killer.
Warriors 23-33 Thunder, 7:28, 2nd quarter
Shot clock violation on Golden State. Yet another turnover. Roberson scores and this is getting out of hand.
Waiters misses a three, finally a possible break here, Green gets the rebound and gets it to Iggy who stops the bleeding with a layup.
And oh god the “Seven Nation Army” chants. Way, way, way too early for those here. Kerr calls timeout, it’s Curry time. I’m going to say he’s going to have to score this quarter if the Warriors want to have any chance of coming back.
Warriors 21-31 Thunder, 8:52, 2nd quarter
It’s Durant who gets on he line here, foul goes on Thompson. He makes both of his.
Warriors 21-29 Thunder, 9:18, 2nd quarter
Warriors put Bogut, Green and Thompson back in the game, probably a good time to do that. Not sure that Leandro Barbosa is going to be the guy to dig them out of this early hole.
Neither will Shaun Livingston, who misses a jumper. Ibaka fouls Green on the other end, putting him on the line. Finally, the Warriors have a chance to score here.
Of course Green misses the first free throw, that’s how his series has been going, but he does make the second.
Warriors 20-29 Thunder, 10:15, 2nd quarter
Kanter scores the second basket of the quarter, too. Hey why not. Durant with a drive to the basket gives the Thunder a nine point lead and Steve Kerr is absolutely going to call a timeout here.
Warriors 20-25 Thunder, 11:23, 2nd quarter
Enes Kanter for the first basket in the second quarter? Why not.
Something’s gonna give here:
Kevin Durant 2-10 FG
— NBARegion (@NBARegion) May 29, 2016
Steph Curry 0-3 FG
Warriors 20-23 Thunder, end of the 1st quarter
And that will do it for scoring here in the first quarter. It feels like the Warriors should be down more than they are, considering how they’ve been playing. Particularly considering that Curry hasn’t scored a single point in the quarter.
Wait, HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?
Warriors 20-23 Thunder, 1:13, 1st quarter
Waiters hits a three. The Thunder lead expands.
But Harrison Barnes scores to cut this back into a one-possession game.
Warriors 17-20 Thunder, 2:29, 1st quarter
Draymond Green with a corner three! (Although he may have double-dribbled there). Ibaka makes a jumper in response. He’s been really everything Oklahoma City could possibly ask for during this series.
And as soon as I type that, Durant comes in for Ibaka.
Warriors 14-18 Thunder, 3:20, 1st quarter
Let’s see what Golden State does after this timeout…
Klay Thompson goes for a jumper, but Andre Roberson blocks the attempt. Thompson tries again, a desperation heave with time running out, nada. Ibaka with the rebound, but Roberson loses it out of bounds. Curry misses a three, Draymond gets the rebound but the Thunder disrupt the possession. Dion Waiters, who is in the game, has the ball and he gets it to Westbrook who scores.
But Thompson gets to the rim to stop the Thunder run.
Warriors 12-16 Thunder, 4:41, 1st quarter
Westbrook goes Westbrook, driving to the basket for a layup to cut the Warriors lead to one. Oh and then Ibaka hits the three pointer this time. Thunder lead! Westbrook scores again and yeah, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is going to be calling the timeout this time around.
Warriors 12-9 Thunder, 5:41, 1st quarter
This about what you had to expect coming in: the Warriors are playing a little bit more motivated here in the beginning. The Thunder really just have to weather the storm early on and not get frustrated.
Out of the Thunder timeout…. Ibaka misses a corner three pointer. Bogut finds Andre Iguodala... who also misses a three.
Warriors 12-9 Thunder, 6:15, 1st quarter
Bogut with a dunk. Westbrook with a jumper. There’s some jostling here and finally Green finds Durant and Billy Donovan calls a timeout. He didn’t like what he saw there at all.
Warriors 8-7 Thunder, 8:19, 1st quarter
Andrew Bogut tips a ball in to give the Warriors a short-lived lead before Kevin Durant ducks and Serge Ibaka, who has been scoring early nearly every game, makes a shot to give the Thunder a lead.
And then Bogut finds Green for a three-pointer, the Warriors would really like to see a few more of those from Green.
Warriors 3-3 Thunder, 10:27, 1st quarter
Klay Thompson gets a three. Draymond Green fouls Adams, which is a thing that’s gonna keep happening, he makes one of two free throws.
Opening tip!
Warriors 0-2 Thunder, 11:08, 1st quarter
Thunder win the tip, can’t do anything with it at first, or second, and then Curry steals the ball from Adams, but gets the ball knocked down again. Durant gets the ball back and, on his second attempt, gets the first bucket of the game.
Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup
Kevin Durant, F
Serge Ibaka, F
Steven Adams, C
Andre Roberson, G
Russell Westbrook, G
Nervous energy from everybody tonight. Really does feel like a Game 7. Honestly it might as well be one.
KD daps up Steph & Andre as we near GAMETIME of Game 6 on TNT! #WARRIORSvTHUNDER https://t.co/ZJ7JMsMq5t
— NBA (@NBA) May 29, 2016
Golden State Warriors starting lineup
Harrison Barnes, F
Draymond Green, F
Andrew Bogut, C
Klay Thompson, G
Stephen Curry, G
Nope, no changes for the Warriors. Not that I was expecting Shaun Livingston here.
Email from Michael Aston:
hey Hunter, you seem to cover every sport in the Amerikas... doin’ a fine jog young man! i suspect this will be a Golden shower, they’ve had a good nap...Blow out tonight.
I wasn’t sure if this series could actually get less mature after the whole “Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams in the nuts” thing, but if there is a golden shower tonight, that would definitely do it.
Predictions
This ends today. I really wish that weren’t the case, unlike the Eastern Conference Finals this is one series that absolutely deserves a seventh game. The problem is that this is really Game 7 for the Thunder, they know that if they drop this game and head back to the Oracle they’re going to be at a decided disadvantage. I fully expect to see the Thunder play as motivated as they ever have been and pull off a win. If so, tonight it will go down as the biggest win in franchise history. Heck, it might even cap off one of the greatest feats in NBA history.
Your thoughts? I’m taking all of them here, are we going to finally see a rematch between the battle between LeBron James and the Durant/Westbrook or are the Warriors going to make a Game 7 necessary. Send your predictions here (tweet to @HunterFelt or email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com).
This feels like a good follow-up to discussing James Jones:
@HunterFelt dunno if you talked about this for G5: would this series be the other way if GSW still had David Lee?
— Antoine Linguine (@aklingus) May 28, 2016
Clearly he was the biggest key to the Warriors’ championship run.
Eastern Conference Finals
As was inevitable, the team that has LeBron James is heading to the NBA Finals.
This is LeBron’s sixth straight appearance in the NBA Finals, he’s become the only non-Celtic in NBA history that can claim that. Okay, with the exception of perpetual tagalong James Jones who has been James’s teammate throughout that span.
So disrespectful to James Jones https://t.co/wJ8WdC0YNo
— Joseph Billiot (@jdbillio) May 28, 2016
I would assume that the Cavaliers would be rooting for triple overtime tonight, plus a Warriors win to push this series to seven days while they get a chance to chill these next few days.
@HunterFelt let me be the first to complain about the start time.
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) May 28, 2016
Seriously. Yes, we know that the game’s on the West Coast, hence the late start time but... it’s a Saturday. It’s not starting when most people in Oakland are getting off of work.
Obviously, it’s 100% because the league/TNT can get better numbers, so that’s not going to change. (Now watch this one go into triple overtime.)
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones
Surreal sad news tonight, as reports have come out that the New Orleans Pelicans’ Bryce Dejean-Jones was shot and killed in an incident in Dallas. We still don’t have a clear picture of what happened, and this liveblog is almost certainly the exact wrong place to start discussing, but obviously any event that ends with a 23 year old losing his life is a horrible one.
Commissioner Adam Silver has issued the following response:
The NBA family mourns the tragic loss of New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce Dejean-Jones. Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his journey to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Bryce’s family and the entire Pelicans organization during this difficult time.
Preamble
Well, we know that the Cleveland Cavaliers are heading into the NBA Finals, now it’s just a matter of finding out who their opponents will be. It took a bit longer than most thought it would, but the Cavaliers finally got around to eliminating the Toronto Raptors last by beating them 113-87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors face the Oklahoma City Thunder for their Game 6 and the stakes are clear: With a win, the Warriors force a Game 7, which would take place at their home of Oracle Arena. Should the Thunder defeat them here at home, then they’re heading to Cleveland for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It might be tough going for the Warriors. At home in a must win Game 5, Golden State had to work hard to keep the Thunder at bay. Even in the game’s final minute, the Thunder had a slim but real chance to force overtime, this despite both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missing a ton of shots that usually go in for them. With today’s game back at Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder have the home court advantage once again and the Warriors are going to have to play like the team that was shattering NBA records during the regular season if they want to take this to a Game 7.
Follow along with us here at the Guardian while we bring you the action from what very well might be Golden State’s last stand. You can also contribute, by emailing Hunter.Felt@theguardian or tweeting @HunterFelt during the next few hours we’ll use your thoughts throughout the game. Opening tip is scheduled some short time past 9:00pm EST, but we’ll be back well before then with various facts, opinions, vamping, rambling and more. It’s the Golden State Warriors at the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals!
Updated
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, read how Toronto’s best ever season unravelled:
The NBA’s perpetual underdogs finally saw the best season in franchise history come to an end on Friday night, as the Toronto Raptors fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. With the win, the Cavaliers reached their second consecutive NBA finals.
And while it wasn’t quite the dismantling that was seen in Game 5 (a 116-78 Cavaliers win) the Cavs will enter the finals with confidence, having handed the Raptors only their third home court postseason loss in 11 games at the Air Canada Centre.
The home faithful rarely fell quiet, hoping for a miracle after the Game 5 drubbing. Raptors fans, who have made the ACC one of the more difficult buildings to play in for visiting teams, were treated to an ugly first half. A series of questionable calls slowed the pace of the game to a crawl and the referees threatened to become the storyline as 22 fouls were called. Among them was a flagrant foul assigned to Raptors center Bismack Biyombo after an elbow against Kevin Love. It would have ruled Biyombo out of Game 7.
