Oklahoma City is good basketball team, but not many expected them to be here. Congratulations, you beat the 67-win Spurs. Now you get to play the greatest team of all time, the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder aren’t flinching.
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TRAVEL/SCHEDULING/LETDOWN/LOOK AHEAD
Oklahoma City threw a wrinkle into the Western Conference finals by knocking off the Spurs in six games to advance. San Antonio was expected to be the team moving on, especially after going 40-1 at home during the regular season to claim the No. 2 seed. But the Thunder won twice in San Antonio during the series, boosting their confidence heading into Game 1 against the defending champion Warriors.
Golden State won a record 73 games in the regular year, but Kevin Durant made it clear the Thunder like where they stand after beating the Spurs, who posted one of the best regular seasons in NBA history. The Thunder lost Game 1 in San Antonio 124-92, but rallied to win four of the next five games. The grind of the San Antonio series could serve the Thunder well against Golden State. Though OKC won the series 4-2, four of the games were battles.
INJURIES
Warriors forward Draymond Green tweaked his ankle during the series-clincher against Portland. He will use the time off to rest and get treatment, though he did return to practice ahead of Monday’s game. Center Andrew Bogut has a muscle strain in his right leg and did participate in workouts Friday. The Warriors are hopeful the 7-footer will be ready for Game 1.
KEY MATCHUP
If anyone can handle a shootout with Stephen Curry and the Warriors, it’s Kevin Durant. The four-time scoring champion struggled with his shot in the first-round series against Dallas but looked like himself against San Antonio. Durant averaged 28.5 points on 50 percent shooting in the series against the Spurs, scoring 41 points in Game 4 and 37 in Game 6.
Though the Thunder lost all three regular season games to Golden State, they were at their best against the Warriors in the first two when Durant ran wild, scoring 40 points in the first matchup and 37 before fouling out in overtime in the second game. He had 32 in the third game, which resulted in a 15-point loss, the largest in the three-game season series. Durant averaged 36.3 points per game, his highest total against a Western Conference team, while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor.
QUICK PICK
Three consecutive wins over the mighty Spurs, each one more impressive than the last. Two wins in a building where the Spurs had lost only once all season. It was quite an achievement for OKC. But don’t think the Thunder are done – not at all. “This wasn’t our championship,” Durant exclaimed after the Thunder emphatically knocked off San Antonio 113-99. OKC was flat out the better team.
The Warriors, meanwhile, had to claw their way to a win over Portland in a series that was much closer than most anticipated. OKC has to feel good about its chances after watching the Blazers fall in overtime and by four points in two games following a convincing win over the champs.
NBA Odds: Oklahoma City 118, Golden State 115
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