Warriors come up clutch in game 7

Louis LaVenture,
Editor-in-Chief

Despite trailing 3-1 after four games in the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors managed to do the unthinkable: Come back.

Their on-the-road victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday, 108-101, set up the game 7 showdown at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday.

The Warriors did not disappoint and despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the game and 6 at halftime, they came back to bury the Thunder and their superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Westbrook, 96-88. The Thunder kept it close late, thanks in large part to the scoring of Durant, who nailed several tough shots to keep the game within reach.

However, it was the MVP Curry who iced the game when he shook his defender and nailed a three-pointer with 26.8 seconds left to put the Dubs up by 10 and put the game out of reach.

“For us to overcome an early deficit and claw our way back,” Curry said in a press conference after the game, “It was a very cool moment to enjoy.”

This clinched the second consecutive Western Conference Championship and the second straight trip to the NBA Finals, which they won over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 6 games for their first title in 40 years.

Guess who will be waiting for them in the finals this year? That’s right, Lebron James and The Cavaliers. The finals will be a rematch, however, this time the Cavs will be at full strength. Last year they were without center forward Kevin Love, who dislocated his shoulder in an earlier series against the Boston Celtics. They were also without star point guard Kyrie Irving, who was hurt early in the series against the Warriors but never returned.

The Warriors can relate, having lost reigning two-time MVP Stephen Curry to injuries earlier in the playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers, and it wasn’t until a few games ago in the Thunder series that Curry started to regain some of his regular season form.

“[Curry] understands with all these accolades, MVP’s, commercials, with all that comes great responsibility,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said following the game. “To his team, the organization, the fans, he gets that. If you play poorly you’re going to get blamed.”

Kerr mixed things up and started veteran bench player Andre Iguodala for just his second start of the season over forward Harrison Barnes. The move paid off and it was Iguodala’s stingy defense that forced Durant and Westbrook into a plethora of bad shots throughout the contest.

The game 6 win that forced a game 7 was led by the other half of the splash brothers, Klay Thompson, who set an NBA record with 11 three-pointers, the most in a playoff game ever.

It didn’t immediately carry over for Thompson who missed his first 7 shots of the game and had just 1 point through the first quarter. However, he bounced back and finished the game with 21 points and 5 rebounds in 42 minutes on the floor. Curry finished the game with a game-high 36 points and also chipped in 8 assists and 5 rebounds in the series clincher.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for 6 p.m. this evening at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.