For the fourth time in the past six seasons, the Thunder has advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Only a handful of teams in the NBA have accomplished that feat over the past 20 years, and only a few teams in the other three major professional American sports can say they have done the same in their respective leagues.
Starting Monday, the Thunder will square off against the Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven series, marking the first time the two teams have met in the postseason in the Oklahoma City era. The squads did go to battle three times in the regular season, with each game staying competitive in the fourth quarter. In fact, despite the fact that Golden State won all three meetings, the Thunder was either in the lead, tied or within one possession in the fourth quarter in all three matchups.
First Meeting: Feb. 6, 2016, Oracle Arena – 116-108 Warriors
Despite a 20-point second quarter deficit, the Thunder put itself in position to potentially win the game down the stretch, tying the game at 104 with just under four minutes to go. There was no wavering amongst Thunder players, as they stuck together throughout the night, regardless of whether shots were falling or the Warriors’ tough attempts were dropping. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as the Warriors went on a 12-4 run to close the game.
The Thunder defense held Golden State to just 7-for-26 shooting from the three-point line, but the Warriors made 12 of 23 non-paint two-pointers, the type of shots the Thunder wants to force. Kevin Durant scored 40 points and Enes Kanter added 14 points and 15 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
Second Meeting: Feb. 27, 2016, Chesapeake Energy Arena – 121-118 OT Warriors
Both teams pushed each other to the limit. In the end, it was a 32-foot pull-up three-pointer by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry with 0.8 seconds remaining in overtime that proved to be the difference in the game.
While the Thunder’s 23 turnovers, nine missed free throws and untimely fouls were a factor, it was still a game Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club had in its hands before Golden State hit one extra shot down the stretch. The Thunder played excellent defense in the first half, holding Golden State to just 44.2 percent shooting, but in the second half the Warriors got loose and managed to tie the game up just less than a second remaining on two Andre Iguodala free throws, sending the game into overtime.
Third Meeting: March 3, 2016, Oracle Arena – 121-106 Warriors
The Thunder led 83-82 to start the final quarter, but after two Shaun Livingston free throws and a Marreese Speights three-pointer, Leandro Barbosa scored on a fast break layup, forcing the Thunder to call a timeout. Kevin Durant was freed up for a dunk out of the timeout, but the Warriors answered with an alley oop to Harrison Barnes, then a steal and an Andre Iguodala fast break dunk to take a 93-85 lead with 9:59 left.
Despite the big run, this one wasn’t quite over yet, as the Thunder pulled to 99-97 with 6:02 to play on two Andre Roberson free throws and a heady three-point play in transition by Russell Westbrook. That was the Thunder’s last score for nearly three minutes, however, as the Warriors rattled off the next 10 points by being opportunistic on defense and patient on the offensive end.