OAKLAND – Golden State Warriors fans are nothing, if not appreciative.
They suffered through decades of disastrous basketball, yet remained among the most loyal hoops followers in all the NBA. But when your team takes the kind of turn for the better that these Warriors have in these past two seasons – taking the first title in 40 years last season, winning an unprecedented 73 regular season games as an encore – it’s only natural to become extremely uncomfortable with losing in any form, let alone a Western Conference Finals opener against the underdog Oklahoma City Thunder that they dropped on Monday.
So yes, in other words, the Bay Area sky was falling fast and furious these past few days.
But not anymore. With Game 3 in Oklahoma City on Sunday and the series now tied 1-1, it’s back to normal in these parts after the Warriors’ 118-91 win in Game 2.
This was the kind of outing that will surely lighten the local mood, with back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry turning in one of his trademark performances (28 points in 29 minutes, five of eight from three-point range) and the Warriors’ defense clamping down in the kind of way they haven’t all postseason long.
The Thunder shot just 44.9.% from the field overall, and gave up 16 turnovers that led to 23 points. Oklahoma City was led in scoring by Kevin Durant (29 points), who mitigated his impact by coughing up eight turnovers.
Curry, as he has for two seasons running now, stole the show.
With the Warriors up 64-57 midway through the third quarter, he scored 15 in the span of one minute, 58 seconds to extend the lead to 79-59. A three-pointer from 27 feet out. The three free throws (and another from a Durant technical) when the Thunder star made contact with Curry beyond the arc. Another three. A 22-footer for a mere two points, and another three for good measure. The Warriors, earlier angst be darned, were on their way.
By the time a Durant alley-oop from Westbrook tied it 49-49 with 1:35 left in the second quarter, the Thunder had done more than enough to make these spoiled Warriors fans nervous. They had surely heard about the daunting history at hand, how teams that go down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series so often fall short (243 of 260 in all, 17 of 20 when down 2-0 at home). And the fact that Durant was showing his best again after a woeful 10 of 30 shooting performance in Game 1 only made matters worse. He had 23 points in the first half of Game 2, on nine of 13 shooting overall.
If only the Warriors hadn’t erupted in those final 95 seconds of the second quarter.
They finished the half on an 8-0 run that was the basketball equivalent of a lightning-quick combination from your favorite pugilist.
The Festus Ezeli putback dunk that came with some added oomph.
The Klay Thompson stepback three-pointer that changed the Oracle mood from edgy to electric.
The Andre Iguodala circus shot that boggles the mind – driving right on the break, legs jutting backwards as Westbrook flew by, and a billiard-style spin on the ball as he tossed it off the backboard and in.
An Iguodala layup off of a beautiful pass from Green up top, and a hockey assist to Curry.
Just like that, the Warriors had earned hard-to-come-by breathing room with a 57-49 edge.
