Final thoughts
Email from Elizabeth Boatwright
Warriors take it
Let’s do this Dub Nation-take the Cavs in four
What a game! What a series! The Thunder had a 3-1 series lead and it looked like the Warriors were nearly dead. It’s really remarkable that Golden State pulled off this comeback but, it’s also remarkable that the Thunder played these Warriors so close. This was as competitive of a series as you will ever see, to the point where I’m honestly worried that the NBA Finals will be something of a letdown.
Of course, then I remember that they’re going to face LeBron James. Chances are, the Finals are going to be fairly entertaining. We will be covering them here at the Guardian, but this ends our live coverage for today. Thanks to everybody for following along with our coverage of the Western Conference Finals, particularly everybody who contributed along the way. Ciao!
The Golden State Warriors are heading back to the NBA Finals where they will face the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season!
It’s louder than ever in here as the Warriors seal the deal as Western Conference champions
Your western conference champions pic.twitter.com/3C6W6J2sc1
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
Warriors win!
Thunder 88-96 Warriors, FINAL
Everything left here is all theater. Ibaka hits two free throws to make the final score a bit more representative of how close this game was. The Warriors have won the Western Conference Finals!
Thunder 86-96 Warriors, :26, 4th quarter
Thunder can’t get a score here and time is taking its toll. Steph hits a three-pointer with 26 points left in the game and that will probably do it for the Thunder’s season.
Thunder 86-93 Warriors, 1:17, 4th quarter
Huge mess here for the Warriors. Green is forced to use the Warriors’ last timeout to keep possession of the ball. They only have a few seconds left on the shot clock. Curry has to throw a crazy shot… which Ibaka attempts to block. Instead, Ibaka is called for a foul and Curry goes to the line for three free throws.
Of course he makes all three. Huge bail out there.
Thunder 86-90 Warriors, 1:39, 4th quarter
Curry turns the ball over! Thunder ball! Durant knocks down a shot to cut the Warriors lead down to 4 points!
Warriors take a timeout and Oracle Arena is suddenly very, very nervous.
Thunder 84-90 Warriors, 2:06, 4th quarter
Durant comes out of the timeout with a three-pointer, the kind of instant offense OKC is going to need if they want to stage a comeback.
Even better for them, Green is called for a foul on Durant, stopping the clock and putting Durant on the line where he makes both.
Thunder 79-90 Warriors, 2:57, 4th quarter
Westbrook seems to be determined to prove me wrong about that, though. He makes a driving layup.
Oh but Curry calmly his a shot to push the lead up to 11 points. The Thunder take a timeout, knowing that the clock is their most dangerous opponent at this point in the game.
Thunder 77-88 Warriors, 4:43, 4th quarter
Another Klay Thompson three pointer. It’s almost routine by now. He then blocks a Westbrook jumper, a huge stop there.
And Draymond Green hits a three pointer. I know I’ve said this before, but that might be the sign that the Warriors are about to put this away.
Thunder 77-82 Warriors, 5:26, 4th quarter
Now it’s the Thunder hitting three pointers to counter the Warriors’ two pointers. Durant hits a three-pointer in response to a Curry basket.
Draymond Green makes a layup, That’s good for Golden State. Less good, Curry loses the ball, Thompson has to foul Ibaka, who makes both free throws.
Thunder 72-78 Warriors, 7:09, 4th quarter
Except then Steph Curry hits a three-pointer followed by a Green-assisted basket. The Warriors are-
No, wait, Russell Westbrook hits a three to get the Thunder back in-
Oh, then Curry hits another basket. Are they back in control of the-
And Russell Westbrook hits a three-pointer. I can’t even with all of this. This is crazy.
Thunder 69-73 Warriors, 8:30, 4th quarter
And the Thunder continue to roll here. This time it’s Draymond Green’s time to miss a layup. That seems to be a recurring problem here.
On the other end Ibaka hits a three. How good has he been this series? Ridiculous. It’s a 4 point game.
Thunder 66-73 Warriors, 9:03, 4th quarter
WM Rime:
Hi Hunter.
I don’t get to watch the game so I’m judging from your feed. Warriors surged in the 2nd half of game 6 and it seems like they’re doing it, taking over again? Is that how it looks live?
WM
Basically, yeah, but it looks like the Thunder are going to be chipping away here. I don’t think this ends up being a blowout.
Although it would have better for them had Ibaka not just missed that free throw.
Thunder 66-73 Warriors, 9:03, 4th quarter
The Thunder are hanging in here though. Dion Waiters makes a long two, Speights gets called for an offensive foul and Ibaka makes a layup AND gets fouled.
Warriors take a timeout.
Thunder 62-73 Warriors, 10:49, 4th quarter
Durant hits a basket to start the fourth quarter, which is exactly what the Thunder needed to do to keep this in striking distance.
What doesn’t help them is a missed Westbrook layup. On the other end, Thompson knocks down a shot. Big swing there, potentially.
Bernie Sanders is in the house. The Democratic presidential candidate, though flanked by heavy security, allows fans to take selfies with him.
Ladies and gentlemen, Bernie Sanders is here pic.twitter.com/k3Ny66tVat
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
Sanders was sitting with actor, activist and longtime Bay Area resident Danny Glover. The Warriors have held the lead ever since Sanders got to his seat.
Updated
Thunder 60-71 Warriors, end of the 3rd quarter
And Harrison Barnes hits a three-pointer. This… This feels like the beginning of the end for Oklahoma City.
No, wait, Varejao just hit a shot. THAT is absolutely inexcusable.
But there’s some good news here for the Thunder as Kevin Durant actually gets to the free throw line. He makes both.
And Curry JUST misses a 30+ footer at the buzzer. It’s almost shocking that it didn’t go in.
Thunder 58-66 Warriors, 2:00, 3rd quarter
Kanter blocks Leandro Barbosa’s shot, but the Warriors manage to corral it. They take a timeout. Coming out of the huddle, so to speak, they decide to give Barbosa another chance. Anderson Varejao, who apparently still exists, gets him the ball and he increases the Warriors lead.
And where the F is Adams during all this? #OKCvsGSW @HunterFelt
— David Lengel (@LengelDavid) May 31, 2016
Good question. Good, good question.
Thunder 58-64 Warriors, 2:34, 3rd quarter
Waiters hits a shot out of the timeout, the Warriors lead is cut back to a single point. But then it becomes the Shaun Livingston show, as he makes two straight shots, the second being an old-fashioned three point play after being fouled. Warriors extend their lead.
Surprise guest!
Breaking :@BernieSanders just arrived at @warriors game. Says "let's turn this thing around." @SFGate @sfchronicle pic.twitter.com/uFEQB2rYtP
— joegarofoli (@joegarofoli) May 31, 2016
I did not expect to see Bernie Sanders here. #Game7 pic.twitter.com/LeMfb8CxdO
— Kenny Legan (@KennyLegan) May 31, 2016
Thunder 56-59 Warriors, 4:16, 3rd quarter
Iguodala hits a “don’t try this at home” type shot and he gets a foul. The Thunder take a timeout.
Thunder 56-57 Warriors, 5:09, 3rd quarter
Kevin Durant calms things down a bit with a basket that cuts the Warriors lead back to one. It feels like there’s going to be more lead changes in this game.
The Warriors have their first lead of the game and it’s absolute madness in here
This is what it sounds like when the Warriors regain the lead finally pic.twitter.com/Tuvr2SBRgX
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
Thunder 54-57 Warriors, 5:58, 3rd quarter
AND STEPH CURRY GIVES THE WARRIORS THE LEAD WITH A THREE!
Thunder 54-54 Warriors, 6:54, 3rd quarter
AND STEPH CURRY TIES THINGS WITH A THREE!
Thunder 54-51 Warriors, 7:56, 3rd quarter
Oh there’s Ibaka again, this time with a long two.
You’ll never believe this, but Thompson responds with a three. The two teams are getting into a back-and-forth here, Kevin Durant hits a basket that’s countered by an Iguodala three.
The Thunder do the math, don’t particularly like that exchange rate, and take a timeout.
Thunder 50-45 Warriors, 9:18, 3rd quarter
So Steph Curry is apparently alright. He hits a three-pointer to cut the Thunder lead back to 5 points.
Updated
Second half begins!
Thunder 50-42 Warriors, 10:18, 3rd quarter
And the second half starts!
Well kinda. It takes nearly two minutes before anybody scores. Steven Adams makes a jumper to increase the Thunder lead to 8.
I am totally here for any and all E-40 talk.
@HunterFelt another version of E 40s Yhup, straight from Ghana via Sarkodie - Choices (Audio Slide) https://t.co/A7d1YfKLFH
— Mr J (@jnr_jinx) May 31, 2016
How the first half ended:
What a way to end the half. https://t.co/tmPfp6dDn7 https://t.co/4bDo7mg1qw
— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) May 31, 2016
So the GS run is from one bad shot by Westbrook on one play? Is there a guarantee #OKC score if they get a better look? @HunterFelt #tnt
— David Lengel (@LengelDavid) May 31, 2016
It’s always the fault of Westbrook’s decision making when anything goes wrong for the Thunder. It’s an Ironclad Rule.
It took me half the game, but I finally found a Thunder fan. Zebreon Wallace lives in Oakland and has been a Thunder fan since 2008, when the team moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City and got Russell Westbrook. He thinks they’ll win tonight – “They have to.”
He’s not wearing any OKC gear because he just came from work, he tells me. He brought a Thunder sign but a woman who works here took it from him. “She said she’d give it to me after the game.” Yeah, I’m sure she will.
It took me half the game but I found a Thunder fan - Zebreon Wallace. Been a fan since 2008 #GSWvsOKC pic.twitter.com/srAKoAUgVP
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
Halftime thoughts
This was absolutely 100% the best possible start for the Thunder. They still may not win but they’re definitely setting themselves up for a potential victory here.
End of the 1st half
Thunder 48-42 Warriors, end of the 2nd quarter
HOLY HELL WHAT WAS THAT?
Stephen Curry, swarmed by defenders, somehow beats the buzzer and banks in a shot!
The only downside… it looks like Curry hurt his leg on that play. That may not be ideal.
Thunder 48-40 Warriors, :05, 2nd quarter
Maybe not so much. Ibaka blocks a Curry layup. Waiters gets the rebound. Westbrook gets the ball, makes the layup, gets fouled and hits his free throw.
Thunder 45-40 Warriors, :42, 2nd quarter
Warriors get possession after a jumped ball. Curry makes a shot. Durant loses the ball out of bounds, the Warriors recover. Curry finds Barnes for a basket. Are the Warriors going to head into the half with some momentum maybe?
Thunder 45-36 Warriors, 2:01, 2nd quarter
Make it four three-pointers for Thompson. The Thunder lead is cut back to single-digits once again.
Thunder 45-33 Warriors, 2:19, 2nd quarter
One of the rare times when a double foul is called and it’s probably the right call. Green is staying in the game too. That could have been a lot uglier.
Harrison Barnes fouls Adams, he makes one of two free throws.
Fans getting pretty loud at Oracle Arena as the refs review a tangle between Steven Adams and Draymond Green. People are chanting “Throw him out!” as the refs reviewed the tape. They ended up going with double fouls. What do you think, worse than a kick to the groin?
Draymond Green on the ground after getting tangled with Steven Adams. Crowd pretty upset about this one pic.twitter.com/LkNG0cn5xT
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
Thunder 44-33 Warriors, 2:51, 2nd quarter
Durant makes a jumper, but that’s not the big thing that happens on this possession. Green and Adams tangle up and collide which each other, it looks like it was initiated by Adams but Green definitely responded. Green is very obviously shaken up, looks like he’s hit his head. The officials go to the replay and they’re going to have to figure out this mess.
Thunder 42-33 Warriors, 3:17, 2nd quarter
Westbrook drives to the rim, absorbing a Bogut foul like it was nothing. He makes the jumper and the free throw. That’s what he does.
Thunder 39-33 Warriors, 3:42, 2nd quarter
Adams scores over Bogut. The Thunder get that lead back to 5 points.
Thunder 37-33 Warriors, 4:07, 2nd quarter
This Warriors crowd has been just waiting for a moment to get back into this game all quarter long. They have it. Iguodala dunks, the Thunder can’t score on their possession and Thompson hits his third straight three-pointer.
Thunder timeout. Probably a wise idea, that.
Thunder 37-28 Warriors, 4:50, 2nd quarter
Klay Thompson status: starting to thaw. He hits a three-pointer out of the Thunder timeout. Thompson then rips away the ball from Westbrook but… Curry is rightly called for a personal foul and the Thunder get it back. Given a second chance, Westbrook takes advantage by hitting one from around 20 feet.
A rather vindicated Michael Aston:
“Just seen at so many times, a team has to rise above all adversity and leave ‘everything’ on the floor just a smidge too often..i have many examples and I’ll send ‘em, just one game too many, this is a perfect example of that scenario..”
Thunder 35-25 Warriors, 6:01, 2nd quarter
My lord has Speights really been the only guy to score for the Warriors this quarter?
Some tiny sliver of good here, Westbrook takes a terrible shot, the Warriors get a no-call on what could have been a foul on Iguodala and Thompson finally, FINALLY, makes a three-pointer. The Thunder call a timeout.
Thunder 35-22 Warriors, 7:01, 2nd quarter
Terrible, terrible turnover by Thompson. Westbrook with the steal, Kanter with the basket. And Kanter makes the next Thunder basket as well. The Thunder are getting contributions from everyone on their roster.
Westbrook fouls Iguodala, but it doesn’t matter. Iguodala misses both free throws. After Roberson pushes the Thunder lead to 13 points with a basket, the Warriors take a 20 second timeout.
Thunder 29-22 Warriors, 9:33, 2nd quarter
What a different game this has been: Klay Thompson is 0-5 after Saturday’s heroics.
Timeout over. Westbrook makes his second free throw to give the Thunder a double-digit lead.
Good news, finally, as the Warriors finally score! Marreese Speights hits a desperately needed three-pointers. Gotta like what Mo Buckets has been giving them this series.
We’ve got a celebrity in our midst: Bay Area native E-40 is here to cheer on his hometown team. Anybody remember him?
Thunder 28-19 Warriors, 9:48, 2nd quarter
A left-handed layup by Kanter gives the Thunder a nine point lead. Okay, now is about the time that the Warriors need to get into this game.
Instead, Shaun Livingston is called for a foul on Dion Waiters. The only good news is that it’s not a shooting foul.
Oh, but what happens next very much is a shooting foul as Marreese Speights has to foul a driving Westbrook. He misses his first free throw and…
The Warriors call an early timeout. Don’t blame them, starts like these are how teams get caught in deep holes early.
Thunder 26-19 Warriors, 11:27, 2nd quarter
That’s about as good as of a start as the Thunder could realistically hope to have. Let’s see if Golden State makes any adjustments here.
And Festus Ezeli immediately turns the ball over to start the second. The Thunder convert on the other end, as Enes Kanter hits a jumper.
Wrapping up the first quarter here and the Warriors fans have been on their feet almost the entire time. Definitely upholding their reputation as having one – if not THE – loudest arena in the NBA. As much as they love Steph, though, they seem to be getting loudest when Draymond Green dunks (two massive ones so far)
This crowd definitely hits peak noise level when Draymond dunks pic.twitter.com/UH62iJ8M1e
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 31, 2016
But it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. They’ve been pretty aggressive about booing the Thunder, whether it’s when they first walked out or when they’re up to the free throw line. If there are any Thunder fans here they’re pretty hard to find – by their clothing and because they’re keeping quiet.
Thunder 24-19 Warriors, end of the 1st quarter
Kevin Durant quiets the chants somewhat by knocking in what ends up being the last basket of the first quarter. The Thunder have held the Warriors offense to 34% shooting during this first quarter.
Thunder 22-19 Warriors, :53, 1st quarter
A Draymond Green dunk gets the crowd chanting. This whole first quarter has felt like a fourth quarter, that’s how intense it’s been.
Thunder 22-17 Warriors, 2:21, 1st quarter
Waiters makes one of two free throws. The Warriors need a score here, so it’s a good thing for them that they get the Festus Ezeli Dunk Cameo early in this game.
Thunder 21-15 Warriors, 2:33, 1st quarter
And Curry cuts the Thunder lead down to one for approximately 10 seconds as Westbrook finds Ibaka for a two-pointer.
The Warriors struggle to score on their next possession. Durant gets the rebound and gets it to Westbrook for a three pointer and…
Boom.
The Thunder are starting exactly as hot as they needed to be. After Green fouls Dion Waiters, the Warriors take a timeout.
Thunder 16-13 Warriors, 4:24, 1st quarter
Bogut with a layup to make it a two point game. But, of course, that doesn’t last long. Durant hits his next shot.
And we have our first free throws of the game, just when things were getting fun. Steven Adams picks up a foul that puts Klay Thompson on the line, where he makes one of two.
Thunder 14-10 Warriors, 5:45, 1st quarter
Kevin Durant hits a Steph Curry Three. If the Thunder keep up with their success from behind the three-point line, the Warriors are going to be in trouble.
Email from Michael Aston:
From my limited 50 years of watching sports, an emotional win drains a team. no team can pick it up after the draining of spirit and blood. Thunder will win...
I tend to believe the opposite, the team with the emotional loss having a hard time to come back. But interesting theory...
Thunder 11-10 Warriors, 6:07, 1st quarter
STEPH CURRY WITH A LONG THREE! Warriors cut the lead back down to 1.
Serge Ibaka responds with a three of his own, okay this is fun right off the bat.
And Curry with another three, slightly less ridiculous this time. Westbrook misses a jumper and the Thunder take a timeout. Already this feels like it’s going to be a back-and-forth affair. I’m down with that.
Thunder 8-4 Warriors, 7:39, 1st quarter
Green hits a jumper, the Warriors are going to really, really, really want him to finally resemble his old self at some point in this game.
But then Russell Westbrook happens. The Thunder counter-punch.
Thunder 6-2 Warriors, 8:37, 1st quarter
Andre Roberson tips in a a Steve Adams’ jumper and the Thunder on the board. Adams then knocks down the next two shots for the Thunder and they have an early lead.
Opening tip!
Thunder 0-2 Warriors, 10:49, 1st quarter
And we’re off! Thunder get the ball, but can’t do anything with it. Neither can the Warriors when they get it. It in fact, takes nearly a minute before anyone scores. Draymond Green makes a layup and the Warriors strike first.
Game 7 Thunder starters: Westbrook, Roberson, Durant, Ibaka, Adams.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) May 31, 2016
Golden State Warriors starting lineup
Stephen Curry, G
Klay Thompson, G
Andre Iguodala, F
Draymond Green, F
Andrew Bogut, C
Andre Iguodala is starting tonight over Harrison Barnes, a lot of that has to do with how crucial his defense was in that fourth quarter in Game 6.
Email from Jeff from NYC!
I am picking the Warriors to Win Game 7 and win (hopefully) the Finals.
Don’t have a clue which Thunder team will show up...
Well, we’re about to find out.
Email from Nkpoka:
Am not only rooting for golden state warriors to win but have this BOLD PREDICTION they will 3 peat next year.
Well, especially when they sign Durant during the offseason. (Note to Thunder fans: this is a joke.)
Meanwhile in the NHL, where Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals will be overlapping with our Game 7, probably not the ideal situation for either league, the Pittsburgh Penguins are already up 2-0 over the San Jose Sharks in the first quarter.
I can’t imagine the NBA would be too upset if that game ends up being a blowout early.
Prediction from Sammítto 9, via email:
A. 2016 NBA Playoffs predictions:
Western conference: The Thunder should win game 7, if and only if, the Thunder’s the core players and Co. do what they are supposed to do. The Thunder beat the best team in the playoffs, the Spurs!B. NBA Finals 2016 predictions:
Provided that Thunder wins Vs the Warriors, and if Russell, KD, Adams, Ibaka, Kanter, Roberson, etc. do “what they are supposed to do”, then the Thunder will take the NBA Championship in 6 Vs the Cavaliers. Otherwise, Cavaliers will take the championship in 6 Vs the Warriors – due to matches.C. The 73 wins by the Warriors will prove to be a “fool’s gold”.
I have to admire the boldness of a take based upon the premise that this year’s Spurs, Thunder and Cavaliers were all better than the Warriors.
Predictions
@HunterFelt Who do you think has this one, Hunter?
— Kevin (@RedSoxRedShoes) May 30, 2016
WARNING: I’ve been wrong nearly every single time I’ve made a prediction about this series. In my defense, who could possibly have scripted this series to go the way it has? With that disclaimer out of the way, it’s very difficult for me to pick the Thunder tonight. A lot of this is just straightforward home court advantage. For Oklahoma City to win, they’re going to have to built a lead early and take the crowd out of the game. If they fall behind too much, they’re not coming back.
Secondly, well there’s the fact that we’ve finally seen the Warriors playing at their true level in the last quarter of Game 6. There’s a sense that a sleeping giant is now wide awake. Finally, it’s always silly to rely too much on armchair psychology when it comes with sports analyst, but clearly the Thunder are going to have to put Game 6 behind them.
So my prediction? The Warriors are winning tonight, but the Thunder to push them for most of the game. I could see this being a relatively close game, within single digits, until the fourth quarter where Golden State pull way ahead. The final box score will make it look like a blowout, but I don’t think it will feel that way.
Your thoughts? Once again, I’m taking them here tonight. Email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt.
Here in Oakland there’s a lot on the line tonight, but the Warriors fans flooding Oracle Arena don’t seem too worried.
With word that there were some tickets still for sale, dozens of fans headed to the arena early this morning to see if they could get in.
There are still a few tickets left, and L Terry is first in line. He got here at 7am to wait. pic.twitter.com/MWHlH9UuDe
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 30, 2016
Hordes of fans piled in more than an hour before tipoff to see the team – OK, mostly Steph Curry – warm up. He didn’t disappoint, shooting three after three, and even a few half-court shots.
Steph Curry with the shot(s) pic.twitter.com/sIgiDC6zYQ
— Arielle Retting (@aretting) May 30, 2016
Email from Matt Werner:
Hi Hunter,
I’m visiting London from Oakland, CA. I was wondering is there a place to watch tonight’s Warriors vs. Thunder game in London? Has Dub Nation crossed the pond?
Best,
Matt Werner
(Warriors fan since 1984)
While I can’t speak about a particular place to watch the game in London, perhaps some of our readers might have suggestions, but Game 7 will be on BT Sport.
This is going to be INCREDIBLE! #Game7 live on @btsport from 3am pic.twitter.com/W6TOL1SOJH
— NBA UK (@NBAUK) May 30, 2016
How did we get here? Well, Klay Thompson’s 11 three-pointers in Game 6, a playoff record, didn’t hurt. You can watch all of them here:
Preamble
It’s been 2 days, but I’m still recovering from Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder were 12 minutes away from the NBA Finals when the Golden State Warriors suddenly remembered that they were the Warriors. When the smoke cleared, Klay Thompson had hit 11 three-pointers, the Warriors had won 108-101 and there was going to be a Game 7.
And it was going to be at Oracle.
Obviously this is not ideal for the Thunder. The Warriors, despite their shocking loss in Game 1, are nigh-invulnerable at home. Even in the best of circumstances, a team needs to be close to perfect to get a win at Oracle Arena and these are particularly poor circumstances for OKC, who have to be absolutely demoralized by Saturday’s events.
But…. BUT.
This Thunder team has already defied expectations numerous times this postseason. In the last few weeks the Thunder have eliminated the heavily favored San Antonio Spurs, won a game at Oracle, something that happened only twice in the regular season, and handed the Warriors back-to-back losses for the first time since last year’s Finals. As long as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are healthy, the Thunder will always have a chance, even when there’s clearly there’s a rather high degree of difficulty involved.
So, either the Thunder will pull off a shocking upset, certainly one of the biggest in modern basketball history, or the Warriors will pull off an impressive series win after falling behind 3-1. Either way, we’re guaranteed to be witnessing something special tonight. The winner heads to the NBA Finals to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, the loser faces a long, long, long offseason.
So yeah, you should probably stick around and follow all the action here in the Guardian for the next few hours. In fact, you could even actively join in on the conversation. I’ll be using your emails and tweets throughout tonight’s game in this liveblog, so feel free t send them here. The email is Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com, the Twitter is @HunterFelt. It’s the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. While opening tip won’t be until some time past 9pm EST, we’ll be back here well before then.
Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how the teams are preparing for Monday’s game:
After a record 73 wins and a memorable Game 6 comeback on the road, the Golden State Warriors’ goal of getting back to the NBA finals and defending their title comes down to Game 7 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All along, the Warriors have said the numerous team milestones and personal accomplishments they set this season won’t matter a bit unless they repeat as champions. They need one more victory to become the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 postseason deficit.
“I’ve learned that our players are tough, they’re mentally tough,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday, when his team took a day off from film and practice. “I don’t know if I really learned that. I already knew that. But they’ve firmly confirmed that. It’s been a great comeback. Now we still have to play. We still have another game.”
Kerr wanted his team to grab back some momentum from Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Now, they have it, heading into the decisive game of the Western Conference finals on Monday night after winning two straight.
