Getting the Golden State Warriors' full attention is the mother of all mixed blessings.
For better and worse, the Oklahoma City Thunder have done it.
OKC's truly impressive 108-102 Game 1 victory—marked by attentive defense, resiliency, shrewd lineup decisions and a Russell Westbrook explosion—forced the Warriors to briefly consider their own mortality. That's not something that happens often, but the prospect of an 0-2 series hole galvanized the Dubs, resulting in swift, thorough, terrible-to-behold retribution.
Golden State buried the Thunder in Game 2 by a final score of 118-91, running its record after losses to an unfathomable 12-0 this season.
And there's the root of what should be some seriously conflicted Oklahoma City emotions heading into Sunday's Game 3 at home: The Warriors, with a 100 percent success rate, respond to defeats with overwhelming victories. And more broadly, the more severe the failure, the more focused and complete the subsequent triumph.
Let's unpack this.
The Thunder have a lot to be happy about.
Thei ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Hughes
Be Careful, OKC Thunder, You Have the Tiger by the Tail
May 20th, 2016 by Grant Hughes Leave a reply »
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