The Oklahoma City Thunder closed out the Western Conference Finals last night in resounding fashion over the Minnesota Timberwolves, booking just their second trip to the Finals since moving from Seattle to OKC in 2008. They’ll be prohibitive favorites to win the title over either the Pacers or Knicks, though it’s looking like Indiana is going to survive that series since they’re currently up 3-1.
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Draymond Green knows a thing or five about 3-1 series leads, both good and bad. Green was part of the 73-9 Warriors team in 2016 that blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cavs, a comeback that began with Green getting suspended after he kicked LeBron in Game 4.
Before they even made the Finals, Green’s Warriors completed a 3-1 comeback of their own over the Thunder, and on the latest episode of his podcast, he spoke about how one big defensive adjustment and one transcendent performance from Klay Thompson allowed them to dig out of what seemed to be an insurmountable hole against a team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Earlier in the series, the Warriors had left Thunder guard Andre Roberson wide open and dared him to beat them. The Warriors schemed to stop KD and Russ, and let the other members of the team beat them. The idea was great on paper, but didn’t work out for the Dubs, landing them in a 3-1 hole. Green recalled the moment, “They figure it out, ’cause it’s a gimmick and it doesn’t work anymore.”
Just before a win-or-go-home Game 5 in Oracle, a shift in philosophy was needed, and so the team tried something that sounds suicidal on the surface, but turned out to be brilliant. “We’re all like, ‘Yo, let’s just guard them straight up. Make Russ and KD beat us, and take everybody else away.'”
Klay guarded Westbrook, Andre Iguodala guarded Durant, and the rest of the team avoided doubling and leaving anyone else open. Both Klay and Iggy were elite defenders who had made at least one All-Defensive team by that point in their careers, so it wasn’t as crazy as it sounded.
Golden State’s adjustment worked, but it still took a historic shooting performance from Klay to keep the series alive.
Klay Thompson put the Warriors on his back in Game 6
The Warriors held serve at home in Game 5, then got down by double digits in the first half of Game 6. That’s when Klay stepped up, making a record 11 3-pointers en route to a 41-point night. He gave the Warriors the lead for good with a 3 to break a tie with 1:35 left, and Green wasn’t at all surprised after what he had seen earlier in the day.
“Back against the wall, and the whole day, Klay’s like, ‘Dray I got us, there’s no chance we lose this game, bro.'” Green bobbed back and forth as he imitated his former teammate. “Klay would get this little twitch … you could see in his whole demeanor … ‘No way we losing this game bro, I got us.'”
Klay was true to his word as he bombarded the Thunder with 3s, then in Game 7, the Warriors overcame a 13-point deficit for the second game in a row to win the series.
That turned out to be a pivotal moment in NBA history, as Kevin Durant ended up leaving OKC for the Warriors that summer after they lost the Finals to the Cavs. Golden State would win the next two titles with KD, though, of course, all of those teams look much different now.
Green, Steph Curry, and Steve Kerr are still the constants in Golden State, while Durant has bounced around the league and probably will again this summer, and Klay is in Dallas, where he’ll probably be joining forces with Cooper Flagg.
With the Thunder back in the Finals, they have a chance to finally put that blown 3-1 lead in 2016 to bed and give OKC their first NBA Championship.
