We can parse the defensive breakdowns, lament the shaky shot selection, and question Stephen Curry’s health, but those peripheral issues aren’t the reason for the Warriors’ 3-1 deficit in this best-of-seven series. The fact that the mighty 73-win Dubs are on the brink of elimination can be attributed to three things: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and OKC’s relentlessly swarming defense. Through four games of the Western Conference finals, this Thunder squad has proven they are a better team than the Warriors and, perhaps more startling, the difference isn’t particularly close.
Here are 10 thoughts on the disappointing, deflating, and truth-revealing Game 4 loss:
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1) The Thunder is winning all the match-ups. Against every lineup that Steve Kerr is throwing out on the floor, Billy Donovan’s crew of long, athletic players has a ready answer. OKC’s defense, with their quick switches, limitless wing-spans that canvass the court, and incredible speed in closing out on shooters, has completely flummoxed the Warriors scoring ability. Against that no-holes D, the Dubs again couldn’t manufacture openings to shoot or pass the ball, and were forced into hurried shots and risky pass attempts. Golden State shot 41%, committed 21 turnovers, and were held below 100 points, only the second time in the post-season and the first with Stephen Curry in the lineup. If not for Klay Thompson’s absurd third-quarter scoring spree, the carnage on the scoreboard would’ve been far worse than a 24-point thumping..

2) OKC shot only 43% from the field and committed 17 turnovers. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shot below 40% combined. Yet the Thunder blew the doors off the Golden State machine because of the aforementioned defense and because they out-rebounded the Warriors 56-40 (16 offensive). With all those extra possessions, OKC got up 10 more shots from the field and 10 more free throw attempts.

3) If not for that two-minute flurry of points from Steph in Game 2, this series might already be over.

4) Draymond followed up one of the lousiest performances of his career with another forgettable outing. Not only was Dray lacking force defensively (those couple of plays a game where Dray destroys someone defensively have been sorely missed the last two games), but he was again a mess on the offensive side of the ball, shooting 1-of-7 from the field and playing loose with the rock for 6 turnovers. After a minus-43 performance in Game 3, the Warriors were outscored by 30 points while Dray was on the floor.

5) The Death Lineup has been killing the Warriors. According to Hardwood Paroxysm, in 34 total minutes, the usually lethal group has been outscored by 27 points. With Steph shooting a frigid 6-of-20 from the field and unable to shake loose from big men on the perimeter, the Warriors don’t get an offensive advantage by going small, but yet give up easy offensive rebounds on the other end. And with Draymond looking like he’s battling his own head as much as he is OKC’s front line, the Death Lineup might not wake from its comatose anytime soon.

6) At least the Warriors had one decent stretch in this game. During the third quarter, Klay single-handedly brought the Warriors back to within 6 points on a barrage of free throws and quick-trigger threes. Unfortunately, there was nothing about that run that looked particularly sustainable for the next game. The Warriors didn’t come away from that 12-minute span with a better idea of how to attack OKC’s defense. (Unless you consider “Hey, Klay, score 19 points in a row!” a reliable way to play basketball.)

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7) If OKC advances to the Finals, they would have beaten the 67-win Spurs and 73-win Warriors to get there.

8) KD and Russ have completely taken over this series. The duo scored 62 points and added 22 rebounds, 15 assists, 8 steals, and 3 blocks. Meanwhile Steph and Dray together tallied only 25 points on 7-of-27 shooting and committed 12 ghastly turnovers. Durant and Westbrook finished second and third in MVP voting. Draymond was sixth. The Warriors need their two MVPs to at least match OKC’s if they want to swing this series around.

9) I keep going back to Game 1. Had the Dubs been able to hold onto a 14-point second-half lead, where would this series be now? You’d have to imagine it would at least be 2-2, if not even 3-1 with the Thunder reeling from a 2-0 deficit. But that didn’t happen because Russell Westbrook took over the third quarter and the Warriors got careless with the ball. This thought could haunt the Warriors and their fans for an entire summer.

10) It’s not impossible to come back from a 3-1 deficit. Nine teams in NBA history have done it, with last year’s Rockets being the most recent. If you think this Rewind was purposefully dark and negative in hoping for some reverse jinxing, you’re not incorrect. #Webelieve.