OKC — GSW | Game 4 Diary
9:20 PM Nathan: If the Warriors lose, I blame Reggie Miller
9:22 PM Joshua: I’m sure the Warriors will too.
9:26 PM Nathan: He might (definitely) be the worst.
9:26 PM Joshua: Jon Barry and mark Jackson are worse.
9:33 PM Nathan: OH JON BARRY. I completely forgot about him. There’s no one worse. He’s completely unbearable. Also — The Warriors have to get ahead while KD is playing this poorly or they aren’t gonna make it.
9:40 PM Joshua: He looks out of it. I guess he’s getting to the line, but just nothing relating to intensity yet.
10:00 PM Nathan: If I knew nothing about basketball, and I was watching this game, I would assume Russ was the MVP of the league. Steph looks so hesitant.
10:05 PM Joshua: Totally. Based off of how big they’re playing and the swagger plus skill they’re displaying. Steph has to be more injured then we know. Thunder are so impressive.
10:20 PM Nathan: They really are. When they lock in on defense, they are spurts where they are just better than the Warriors. Maybe it’s because Steph isn’t healthy. But whatever it is, they are really freaking good.
10:25 PM Joshua: Didn’t see this coming in the least, the thunders look faster than the warriors. Didn’t see that coming.
10:28 PM Nathan: Same. I thought by now the Warriors would’ve figured them out. Then again, if Draymond and Steph were playing like themselves things would be very different. Still, impressive stuff by the Thunder. I may be getting ahead of myself here, but I’m kind of excited to see a new Finals match up if it happens.
10:43 PM Joshua: For sure. (By the way I hope K-Love is alright)
Not to be over-dramatize a half of basketball in a game 4 that isn’t a clinching game, but a massive second half in terms of narrative NBA history. If the Thunder win, they put the best regular season team of all time in a massive hole and are favorites to knock then out. If the Warriors win, it’s 2–2 and they’re on pace to win in 7.
10:46 PM Nathan: It is just game 4, but you’re right. Along with that if the Thunder win this series, they’ll have beaten the two teams everyone thought were the best in the league. And both of them were historically great.
10:48 PM Joshua: Klay is a superstar, and Steph and Durant are playing like crap. I don’t know how to handle this or understand what’s happening yet other than saying its a wear and tear problem.
10:57 PM Nathan: Yeah he is. What a clutch run for him (Klay).
11:00 PM Joshua: I feel like the way we have both felt about Russell Westbrook has been like a roller coaster this season, much more than other years. Like towards the end of the season I was way down on him again. But he has proved me wrong so many times this postseason when I thought he was going to blow games.
11:25 PM Nathan: Dude same here with Russ. He’s been so impressive. I’m kinda mad at myself for not completely staying with my Westbrook love. I started to give in towards the end of the season.
Also, Ezeli has been pretty useless. He can’t catch anything and he can’t pass worth crap.
11:28 PM Joshua: I can’t really believe what I’m watching.
Is it too soon to start having the 73 games wore the warriors down conversation? Draymond and Steph both look dead. Steph may be hurt. But Draymond looks so out of it.
11:36 PM Nathan: I mean, yes and no. I do think they put a lot of unnecessary energy into stupid games down the stretch. But Steph’s injury was a fluke. He slipped on a wet spot. And Draymond might be out of it still after he thought he could be suspended. Plus he’s only 2 flagrant fouls from missing a game, so that might be in his head too. Everyone else on their team looks fine. And in the end, Steph and Draymond are everything for the Warriors. If they aren’t right, the Warriors aren’t right.
Question for you: are you happy that we probably won’t see the same team win twice, or would you rather see a dynasty/the Warriors win again?
11:41 PM Joshua: I’ve struggled with that question ever since game 1. I guess I’m supposed to be disappointed that there may not be a Cavs-Dubs rematch, or that the best regular season team in NBA history may not complete the run. But I find myself in such awe of what the Thunder are doing I could care less about history right now.
11:54 PM Nathan: That’s totally fair. I can’t blame you at all for that. I like what you said too — It’s almost like we have t force ourselves to want the Warriors to win. That said, I honestly still want to see history. I also know that all the hot take people will come out of the woodwork now:
“The Warriors were lucky” and “Jump shooting teams can’t win”… I can already hear it. And I hate that more than anything. But if there’s a team I’m okay with going to the Finals instead of the Dubs, it’s OKC. It feels like they’ve earned this with years of bad injury luck. Worst case scenario for me was the Spurs doing what OKC is doing now. That would’ve been so boring from a narrative standpoint (at least, compared to “The Rematch” or “OKC’s Redemption”).
11:56 PM Joshua: I’m with you, OKC is best case scenario if Dubs don’t make it. Plus RWB and KD vs Kyrie and LBJ would be really fun. (Sorry, Toronto).
Also, there’s totally a shot Dubs win this. If anyone can, they can. Just had to throw that in.
11:59 PM Nathan: No doubt. Cavs-Thunder would be so fun!
I was thinking that too. I don’t see it happening, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it did either. They’re the most resilient team I’ve ever seen.
12:00 AM Joshua: Either way, this has been a better conference finals on both sides then I expected. Close series and great play from the Thunder and Raptors.
