Warriors stunned by Thunder's resolve in Game 1 loss
OAKLAND, Calif. — At the beginning, before losing hold of what became a 108-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors had plans.
They’d drawn up clever defensive schemes, one that included asking Draymond Green to “guard” Oklahoma City’s infrequently shooting Andre Roberson. Green, whose focused physicality evokes NFL defense, was in essence asked to play free safety. Initially, the Warriors appeared to be in control, forcing the Thunder into a rash of turnovers.
On the other side, the Warriors attempted to seize upon Oklahoma City’s lapses. Golden State can strike when least expected, even immediately after its own disappointments. For example, an errant Andre Iguodala pass ended in a Serge Ibaka dunk, cutting the Warriors’ lead to four points in the second quarter. This would be a natural occasion for a team to sulk a bit, ruing their recriminations as they slowly walked up the ball. Instead, Iguodala immediately shoveled an inbounds to Curry, who rocketed an outlet to Klay Thompson. Ibaka’s dunk finished up with 3:11 on the clock. Thompson’s response 3-pointer was in the air at 3:08. At the end of the quarter, Golden State led 60-47 and were seemingly cruising to victory.
Oklahoma City then mounted a focused response that ultimately cracked Golden State’s hold. It began with Russell Westbrook‘s will and force in the third quarter. The Thunder point guard was ubiquitous in the stanza, hitting 3s, drawing fouls and snagging steals to the tune of 19 third-quarter points.
After that, Durant orchestrated a run at the beginning of the fourth as Golden State found outside shots begging. The Warriors went to their “Death Lineup” of Green at center earlier than usual after falling down four early in the quarter. They did not, however, find their rhythm with the switch.
The quarter that began with Durant making a 27-foot 3-pointer essentially ended with his coup de grace. After a closing sequence in which both teams played frenzied, skittish offense, he found an oasis of poise with an isolation midrange jumper with 30 seconds remaining to push the lead to 105-100. An uncalled Westbrook travel might have offered the Warriors a last-gasp chance at a 3-pointer, but this loss was earned slowly over the second half.
Ultimately, the Thunder won Game 1 with resolve and late-game defense. They now own home-court advantage in a series where that advantage looms especially large. As for the Warriors, they’ll likely need better performances from their bigs and possibly from an MVP who is still working his way back from a knee injury. The Thunder didn’t steal home court on Monday so much as they steadfastly and eventually earned it.
