OAKLAND – Bleary-eyed and both physically and emotionally spent, the Thunder walked off the court on Monday night for the final time in the 2015-16 season. Losing to the 73-win Golden State Warriors in an epic seven-game series was painful, but as each player embraced his brothers and the Thunder staff it was clear – this is an extremely special group.
It was a 96-88 loss to the Warriors in Game 7 as the Thunder fell 4-3, just narrowly missing out on a chance to make it to the NBA Finals for the second time in team history. Despite dropping Games 5 and 6, the Thunder displayed no signs of an emotional hangover.
Instead, it was a steely resolve and excellent team play that allowed Head Coach Billy Donovan’s team to rack up a 13-point lead in the first half. The Thunder showed composure and toughness to shake off the past two losses, and gave Golden State everything it could handle before the Warriors rained in enough contested three-pointers to break away in the second half.
“We were right there every step of the way with them,” Donovan said. “This was a record-setting team and a team that's won a World Championship. So you can sit there, what happened. You've just got to give them credit.”
“They beat us in the three-point line the last two games,” Durant said. “We beat them everywhere else, they beat us from the three-point line, and that was the series.”
Behind seven straight points from Durant, the Thunder was storming back into the game, turning an 11-point deficit with 2:57 to go into just a four-point hole. It seemed that all it needed was one more stop. Warriors forward Draymond Green almost lost the ball, but dove on it while Durant and Russell Westbrook wrestled him for control of the ball.
Green was awarded a timeout, and after the break Stephen Curry was fouled behind the three-point line with 1.9 seconds left on the shot clock. It was a backbreaking moment that thwarted the Thunder’s rally and sealed the fate of this Western Conference Finals.
“When we fouled on the three-point shot, I think that was a dagger for us,” Durant said. “That kind of hurt us. We had some momentum going down… We had got the stop and the rebound, and I was feeling good. Coach was coming back to me. Russell was coming back to me. I felt good. But, hey, there are a lot of what-ifs. We could have said a lot of what-ifs throughout the whole playoffs.”
The Thunder seemed to be in control for most of the first half, but the tide turned in the third quarter, when the Warriors ripped off a 29-12 quarter behind some incredible shooting. A stretch of four three-pointers on six possessions was a gut punch for the Thunder, as the Warriors took the lead for good mid-way through the period. On the night, the Warriors shot 17-for-37 (45.9 percent) from behind the arc, and an incredible number of those shots were over the outstretched hands of Thunder big men who did their best to contest shots.
“Their shot-making in that third quarter, especially from the three of point line was the difference in the game,” Donovan said.
Overall, the Thunder played a clean game, only turning the ball over seven times and generating looks for teammates through ball movement and spacing. It was clear from the outset that Durant and Westbrook looked to get their teammates involved early and often, with Westbrook running high screen and roll with Steven Adams repeatedly in the opening quarter.
Unfortunately the Thunder missed a bunch of open looks from the three-point line and had some chip shots rim out in the paint. For the night, the Thunder shot just 38.2 percent, but showed a clear commitment to generating high percentage shots through trusting the system. That bodes well for the team as it turns the page to the offseason and a continued commitment to improvement.
“I was really happy with our offense,” Donovan said. “We drove the ball to the basket. We extra-passed it. We generated really good shots. Like anything in a 48-minute game, you're going to have some possessions you don't like or a turnover.”
“The habits that we were able to build during the course of these playoffs, how can we continue to build next year in training camp,” Donovan asked, rhetorically. “In terms of how do we come in and take these experiences we've all been through and utilize them to grow and develop and maybe be more prepared?”
Game 7 Thunder Highlights:
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By the Numbers
16-3 – Advantage in second chance points for the Thunder on the night, thanks to 14 offensive rebounds
17-for-37 – Three-point shooting numbers for the Warriors, compared to the Thunder’s 7-for-27 mark
42 – Points for the Warriors in the first half, the fewest in a half in Oakland for Golden State in the postseason- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“I’m proud of all the guys, win or lose, proud of everybody for the effort they put in. The things you guys don't see every day which is coming in, the hard work they put in, the sacrifice they make for everybody in the organization. Just proud. It's a journey. A lot of people just see the basketball games, but they don't see everything else behind the scenes, and that's what I'm proud of the guys for. Staying together and continuing to get better day by day throughout the whole season.” – Kevin Durant