Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: We're not going home!
“We’re Not Going Home!” Warriors win Game 5, Game 6 at OKC on Saturday
Game 5 lived up to the hype. No blowout, great defense, scoring starts, a late lead change and some drama in the final minute all helped it happen. The Warriors were in control for most of this one, but finally gave up the lead midway through the third quarter on a Russell Westbrook 3-pointer. And then the opposite of the “Death Lineup” – Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights – opened up a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench. I’ll agree with Charles Barkley on Westbrook. He should have played more minutes and should not have been on the bench as long as he was at the start of the fourth while the Dubs reserves were going crazy. But this one still wasn’t over.
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The Warriors held a 107-101 lead with 1:36 left when defensive wiz Andre Roberson fouled out for being too aggressive against Stephen Curry, despite Curry being 30 feet from the hoop (or if you’re a Ted Cruz fan, ‘ring.’) When Curry picked Kevin Durant’s pocket with 1:24 left, and then made an acrobatic layup to put the Warriors up 111-101 with 1:02 left in the game, it looked like it was officially over. In fact, Curry was in agreement, screaming to the crowd “We’re not going home yet!”
But somehow it still wasn’t over. OKC coach Billy Donovan got a tech that led to a 112-101 Warriors’ lead, but KD answered with a dunk to cut it to nine points, while Klay Thompson free throws jacked the lead back up to 11 with a minute left. But it still wasn’t done. Durant was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut the lead to 114-106 with 50 seconds remaining, and then Curry had his pocket picked by Westbrook and a host of Thunder players. Westbrook scored on the other end (114-108) and was fouled on the play, going to the line with a chance to cut the lead to five with 40.7 seconds left in the game.
Westbrook missed the free throw, but incredibly grabbed his own rebound and kicked it out to KD for a wide-open three. Had he hit it, the score would have been 114-111 with 37 seconds remaining on the clock and it literally could have gone either way. But KD’s shot didn’t go down and the Warriors wrapped up the game in the final 30 seconds for a 120-111 win to cut the Thunder’s lead to 3-2 with Game 6 in OKC on Saturday night at 9 p.m. on TNT. I don’t even know who I’m rooting for anymore in this series, but I really wish KD’s three would have gone down, as the game could have gone to overtime with a few helpful bounces.
The Warriors got 31 points, seven boards, six assists, five steals and three 3-pointers on 9-of-20 shooting from Curry. He may not be 100 percent, but I’ll still take him at whatever percentage he actually is, as long as he’s playing. Klay Thompson had 27 points, five boards, a steal and two 3-pointers, but hit just 8-of-21 shots. Andrew Bogut finally came to life with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 7-of-9 shooting, so props if you used him in DFS. Draymond Green also bounced back with 11 points, 13 rebounds, a steal and four blocks, and Barnes had six points on just 2-of-7 shooting. At least one of Green’s blocks was possibly the play of the night.
Mo Buckets (Speights) hit 4-of-7 shots and a 3-pointer for 14 points and two boards in just nine minutes off the bench, Iguodala scored eight and handed out eight dimes with a steal, block and a 3-pointer in 34 minutes, and Shaun Livingston added six points and two assists in 14 minutes. With Bogut ballin’, Festus Ezeli played just four minutes and scored two points, ruining the night for his DFS owners.
For the losing Thunder, Durant had 40 points, seven boards, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers on 12-of-31 shooting, and Westbrook added 31 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, five steals and three 3-pointers on 11-of-28 shooting. He also had seven turnovers, as the Warriors defense was stellar last night. Serge Ibaka was solid again with 13 points, eight boards and three 3-pointers, but didn’t have a block, Steven Adams had eight points, 10 rebounds and a block, and Roberson had six points, six boards, two steals and two 3-pointers in 34 minutes before being disqualified. The Thunder bench was quiet, save for Anthony Morrow racking up 10 points in just seven minutes with two 3-pointers and 4-of-4 shooting.
As for Game 6 on Saturday, I think the pressure is on squarely on OKC, even though it’s another elimination game for the Warriors. OKC will be expected to win at home, and they really need to, as going back to Oracle for a Game 7 would be one of the toughest tests in all of sports. The Warriors will be playing for their lives that night and the Thunder had better follow suit. Saturday’s Game 6 should be one for the ages and I can’t wait to watch it in Indianapolis, as I’ll be pre-gaming with family and friends for a trip to the Indy 500 on Sunday morning. Let’s do this!
Cleveland looking to close out Raptors in Toronto on Friday
The Cavaliers will visit the Raptors at 8:30 on ESPN Friday night in hopes of closing out the series 4-2. Even if the Cavs don’t win tonight, they can still win it in Game 7 back at home in Cleveland on Sunday. The Cavs rocked the Raptors 116-78 on Wednesday night and clearly have momentum, not to mention home-court advantage. I’ve counted out the Raptors several times this postseason and they’ve proved me wrong every time. But the Cavaliers will be on a mission and if Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving all bring their A Game tonight, the Cavs should be able to get a few days to prepare for the Finals. And even if the seven-point underdogs from Toronto win Game 6 at home, I don’t see any way the Cavs don’t put them away in Game 7 on Sunday. But that’s why they play the games.
Have a great weekend! See you on Monday.
