OKC Thunder vs Golden State Warriors Game 1 Exhibits Star-Power on Full Display! 2016 NBA Playoffs Preview, TV Schedule & Live Stream Time
For a team that dropped all three of their head to head match-ups during the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are amazingly confident that they have just the formula for taking down the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder led or were tied with the Warriors entering the fourth quarter of all their games, including leading in overtime of one and being tied with just over three minutes remaining in another.
Star-Power on Full Display
Things figure to be no less dramatic when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson come face to face in Game 1 at Oracle Arena Monday night. Tip-off starts at 9:00 p.m. ET and you can watch a live stream here.
The Thunder come to town convinced they've finally overcome the one demon that kept them from finishing off the Warriors in any of those aforementioned showdowns and led to them finishing 3-12 after the All-Star break in games where they were within five in the last five minutes.
In knocking off the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in the semifinals, OKC was 3-1 in those situations, displaying a level of late game poise and composure rarely associated with them.
While Durant and Westbrook were Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder also battered the Spurs inside on the strength of the play of Steven Adams and Entes Kanter.
All season long, the chatter across the league has been one of the few ways of taking advantage of the Warriors small ball lineup is by pounding the ball inside.
But with Curry, the Warriors have more than a fighting chance against anyone, no matter what the circumstances or the strategy employed against them.
The two-time MVP torched the Thunder this season to the tune of 35 points per game and a 37-foot, overtime winning buzzer beater on Feb. 27, where he finished with a record 12 3-pointers.
Thompson on a Roll
With Curry somewhat hampered early on against Portland in the semifinals, Thompson stepped forward to turn in what his Splash Brother running mate deemed the "playoff series of his career."
For the Warriors to earn the right to defend their NBA crown in the Finals, Golden State will almost need Thompson's defense as much as they do his scoring punch. Over the regular season, Durant was a one-man wrecking crew against the Warriors, averaging a blistering 36 points a game on 53 percent shooting.
Draymond Green is also expected to get his chance for the Warriors in slowing down the Thunder' four-time scoring champ.
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