Tonight game 2 of the NBA playoffs Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors will take place at the Oracle Arena. The Stephen Curry-led team will look to avenge their surprising loss in game 1 and tie the series, while the Thunder will attempt to sustain their wave of momentum that had them stun the favorites and shock the entire world. Unlike what everybody thought a few days ago, this series could actually go either way.
Let’s take a look back at what went on in game 1. The Oklahoma City Thunder did the unthinkable – in betting on basketball terms – and beat the Golden State Warriors, at the Oracle Arena, in game 1 of the NBA playoffs Western Conference Finals. But how much was the Thunder’s doing and how much the Warriors’ undoing? Russell Westbrook was taking a beating like rookie quarterback in his debut match in the NFL, and shooting 1 for 11 by the time the third quarter rolled around. However, when it was all said and done, Westbrook might as well have been banging bottles together and chanting “Warriors, come out to play-i-ay!”
Westbrook finished with 27 points (19 over the final 7:02 of the third), 12 assists, 7 steals, and 6 rebounds, and turned the tide in favor of Oklahoma with a 3-pointer with 7:02 in the third quarter. His mirror image was Stephen Curry, who – very uncharacteristically – did not come through during crunch time. Curry missed a past to Andre Iguodala along the baseline with just over two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. Later on, Draymond Green drove past Steven Adams, who basically left Green wide open. Unfortunately for him, Green failed to properly assess the situation, so he awkwardly contorted his body and threw up a weird reverse lay-up that missed by about three feet.
Thus the Thunder upset not only online betting on basketball odds, but also a Golden State team that played like their bodies had been snatched by alien insects. For example, Warriors led by 13 at the half and lost. They were 37-0 this season (including playoffs) when leading by double-digits at halftime (emphasis on were). Also, the Warriors’ 42 second-half points and 14 fourth-quarter points are both Golden State 2016 postseason lows. As Curry said post-game, “we tried for the home-run plays.” Well, Steph, that’s the problem right there; you were playing a completely different sport. No wonder you guys lost. How about we go back to playing basketball for game 2?
After all, the Warriors are still online betting on basketball favorites at -450 versus the Thunder at +360. And it could be said that the Warriors beat themselves. Durant and Westbrook missed 34 shots between them, and their team still won. On the other hand, Golden State shot just 6 for 23 and hit just one three on 10 attempts in the final period – but this time there was no saving grace. There was no Deus Ex Machina. There was no last-second miracle. This is a game that the MVP will not be putting in his Curry-culum vitae. You know things are bad when even LeBron James could take these Warriors out.