(This story was originally published on May 28, 2016)
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Splash Brothers are bringing the Warriors home for a Game 7. And this one was a cannonball of a splash.
That’s all you really need to know. Without the incredible long-range bombing of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors would have been dethroned as NBA champions by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
But goodness gracious, Steph and Klay. They saved the day — and the season — in a wholly spectacular way. They combined for 17 3-point baskets on only 31 long-range attempts and scored 70 points as a tandem to lead the Warriors to a scintillating 108-101 victory over the stunned Thunder, their rowdy fans, and their two stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
As a result, this Western Conference finals series that deserves a Game 7 will get one Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors will seek to become only the 10th team to recover from a 3-1 deficit and the fourth in a conference final.
Jump-shooting team? On this night, the Warriors were one for the ages, making 21 3-pointers to Oklahoma City’s three. But the unquestioned savior was Thompson, whose final bomb of an NBA playoff record 11 3-pointers gave the Warriors a 104-101 lead with 1:35 to go. They held on from there.
“I should have had at least 13 because I missed some wide-open looks early,” said Thompson, who finished with 41 points. “I had no idea what the record was. I didn’t even know I had 11 3’s. I was just trying to be aggressive. It feels good to own a record, but it will feel much better if we close them out on Monday and play with the same toughness and resiliency we did tonight.”
Yes, the Warriors were tough and resilient. They were not stressed as in Games 3 and 4 here. That said, Oklahoma City was bearing down on them, leading by eight points with 9:04 to go and zeroing in for the kill. Draymond Green was in foul trouble. They absolutely needed to go to the wall with the 3-ball to pull this one out, and Thompson and Curry delivered with a historic effort, even for them.
“Obviously, Klay Thompson was ridiculous,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean, that was some of the most incredible shooting you’ll ever see.”
At one point, Thompson pulled up for a 28-footer well behind the top of the key and swished it through.
“That was the only one all night that I thought, ‘What are you doing?’” Kerr said. “But that’s the beauty of Steph and Klay. They kind of walk that fine line between lethal and crazy, and we have to live with some crazy misses because they make more than their fair share.”
All Curry did on this night was score 29 points (after a scoreless first quarter) with 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. He was 6 of 13 from beyond the arc and made two big ones himself down the stretch. Together, Curry and Thompson made 7 of 10 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Afterward, though, Curry was giving it up for his backcourt partner.
“All Klay needs is a sliver of daylight,” Curry said. “The shots he made tonight were huge. But they were shots he had his feet underneath him and he just had all the confidence in the world. He understood the moment.”
And that moment was?
“We all really, really didn’t want this to be our last game,” Thompson said. “Me and Steph, we’ve got to hunt out our shot.”
The successful hunt bagged a return to Oracle, where the most fans are probably figuring this series is in the bag as well. The Warriors, however, were trying to warn against those notions. They know what kind of opponent they have in the talented, rugged Thunder.
“It will be the hardest game of our lives,” maintained Green, echoing what Curry had said about Game 6. “It’ll be way harder than this game. Going back home, people think it’s done, but it will be way harder.”
Curry was in full agreement.
“If we thought tonight was hard, Game 7’s going to be even tougher,” he said. “Everybody on both sides of the ball is going to leave it all out on the floor. It’s win or go home. So we can’t expect just because we’re at home that we can just show up and win.”
The Warriors understandably staged a small celebration at the end of this victory that kept their historic season alive.
“Come on, one more!” Warriors CEO Joe Lacob shouted after congratulating Thompson on the way to the locker room.
After a shaky first half, the Warriors came out firing and actually took an early 54-53 third-quarter lead on two 3-pointers by Thompson and it was a back-and-forth battle for much of the period. With 2 1/2 minutes to go, Golden State trailed 77-75, but Oklahoma City went on a 6-0 run to close the period.
That looked like it might be the back-breaker, particularly when stalwart forward Green picked up his fifth foul as time was winding down in the fourth quarter. But the Warriors simply wouldn’t die.
Andre Iguodala’s efforts were also crucial down the stretch defending Durant, and Iguodala also made a huge steal of Westbrook with the score 101-101 that preceded Thompson’s 3-pointer moments later from the wing. Curry took over from there with a driving layup and free throws that salted the game away.
