Last week, the sports world was shaken into a large uproar as the Oklahoma City Thunder held the Golden State Warriors to a 3-1 game deficit in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. To the average fan, that’s basketball, and the better team was on the cusp of an NBA finals appearance. However, to most people who knew the real deal, the sky was falling and it was nothing short of a miracle that OKC was in this position.
The Golden State Warriors, you know them, arguably the best team in the NBA. Led by their “baby-faced assassin” or Steph Curry, won a league best 73 regular season games, breaking a 20 year long record set by the great Michael Jordan himself. Even those who don’t know basketball, know the light skin, 6’3", two-time MVP, dead-eye shooter, Curry. The Warriors, wearing their “Strength in Numbers,” slogan on their sleeve, held true to that mantra all year; Guys like Klay Thompson, who despite his greatness, has no problem playing second fiddle to Curry.
A guy like Draymond Green, who is undersized for his position, although he is the heart and soul of that team and is slowly becoming one of the top three power forwards in the game. The list goes on: Shaun Livingston, Andre Igudola, Marreese “Mo’ Buckets” Speights, every player 1-15 had made an impact on the season at some point in the year. This was truly a team of golden boys, guys who faced so much adversity in the past, who finally arrived and was on track to make history.
The Oklahoma City Thunder… yeah that’s it. No really, you could probably consider them the anti-Warriors. Before you consider me disrespectful, yes, they do have two stars; one in Kevin Durant, the 2014 MVP, a 6’10 forward with a deadly shooting stroke, and a guy who has matured into one of the stars of the NBA. And we can’t forget Russell Westbrook, one of the most aggressive point guards in the game. He plays with a killer instinct every night and comes out looking to destroy you at any expense.
OKC played the entire season with a chip on its shoulder, they were the country bumpkins who crashed the formal, they weren’t supposed to be there. The Thunder were the third ranked team in the conference and every analyst, fan, and probably opposing player already considered them all but finished when they began the semi-finals against the almighty Spurs. However, great defense and shooting from a supporting cast that we thought were dead, proved to be enough to propel them over a simply better team in San Antonio.
Like a thief in the night (shoutout Young Thug), the Thunder had stolen an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they were playing their alter egos in the Golden State Warriors. If my subtle references haven’t allowed you to figure it out yet, let me make it easier for you; OKC is not good. On the converse of the “Strength in Numbers” mantra of Warriors, were the Thunder’s one-two punch in Westbrook and Durant, and outside of those two, no one (and I mean no one) could possibly step up on any given night.
The three games the Thunder had won had sunk into the minds of the basketball world, and for a quick second made everyone question whether we were wrong about them. Whether Andre Roberson and Dion Waiters could actually make shots after all, whether Russell Westbrook's aggressiveness wasn’t just a turnover waiting to happen, or whether Kevin Durant wasn’t so inconsistent that it made us think his mom wasn't actually the real MVP.
After the 3-1 lead was close to cementing in our minds, the Golden State Warriors, within the blink of an eye, further solidified their places in history as being one of the few teams to overcome a 3-1 deficit and in seven games; which landed the team to back to back appearances in the NBA finals. We know the Warriors are a great team and it would have been difficult for any club to defeat them. Although, the Thunder had it within their reach.
The way the Thunder choked this postseason reminded us that no matter how many coaches they fire, how many role players decide to rise from the dead and become relevant, that they won’t ever change their losing ways. For a quick second, they had us questioning the mediocrity that is OKC, but that loss reminded us they are who we thought they were.
