Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |||
Thunder | 24 | 24 | 12 | 28 | 88 | ||
Warriors | 19 | 23 | 29 | 25 | 96 |
Golden State Warriors win series by 4-3.
The Golden State Warriors defy all odds against Oklahoma City Thunder by completing one of the unlikeliest of comebacks in NBA history, rallying from near defeat to win game 7 by 96-88 and move into the NBA final for the second year running.
NBA MVP Stephen Curry and his team had lagged far behind at 3-1 in the series and looked fated for an early exit from the postseason tournament. But after two straight wins they managed to level the series at 3-3, forcing a winner-takes-all game 7 decider.
Still, things did not look as it was all going according to plan for the Warriors despite their advantage of playing on home ground. They fell behind as much as 13 points before the first half ended 48-42, with OKC taking the lead.
Then everyone in the Golden State camp seemed to fire up, and every player suddenly seemed eager to test themselves for how many 3 pointers they have got in them.
Stephen Curry, reliable as always, scored the game-high 36-points as Klay Thompson added 21 and six threes to follow-up a record breaking performance in game six.
“We survived by the skin of our teeth”, said Golden State coach Steve Kerr. “We were able to pull it out, and we’re moving on.”
But it was not all Warriors here – Thunder had suffered a little drop in performance too. The team had been notorious in losing out in the final quarter even in regular season, just as in game 6 against the Warriors.
They also paid the price as their dynamic duo struggled at the worst possible time – Russell Westbrook was only 7-for-21 from the floor while Kevin Durant shot 10-for-19 for a total of 27 points, his lowest-scoring Game 7 performance ever.
“We laid it all out there,” a somber Durant said after the game. “Everybody left their soul out on the court. We have no regrets.”
But in the end, whether by ability and circumstance, the defending champions had won and is now set for a title rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, with hopes to repeat their 4-2 win last year – or better than that, given their record breaking season.