Thunder Have Found a New Gear in West Finals That Warriors Have Yet to Show
OKLAHOMA CITY — After a pair of losses placed the Golden State Warriors' special 73-win season at death's door, Draymond Green was left searching for broader, deeper whys and hows following Tuesday's 118-94 Game 4 blowout.
"Obviously they wanted it more than us," Green said after the game. "Now, is that them not having a championship and us having a championship? All of a sudden we're relaxed? It's possible."
With a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder have dominated the past two games so resoundingly that it's difficult to envision the Warriors pushing back with three consecutive life-saving victories, even if two of the games are in Oakland, California.
Golden State's repeat bid was always going to be determined by too much complacency or just enough confidence—a dangerous tightrope—but there are subtle issues at work beyond just that.
What sense is there to Oklahoma City, 18 games worse in the standings, rising up to turn the Warriors from basketball gods into mortal men?
There were signs we missed.
For all the hullabaloo over the Warriors inventing an effective style of winning via their spread-floor offense and smart, versatile defense, other ways to win existed before.
The Thunder's way has proved worthy time and again: superstar talents creating shots for themselves and others, along with a suffocating defense built on length and athleticism. That isn't a fresh approach, but it has worked and is backed by legit talent.
OKC's plan has taken off in the past couple of weeks because the Thunder are working with another playoff keystone: It's crucial to have another level you can reach beyond that of the regular season.
We can argue over whether Golden State overextended itself in pursuit of its 73-win regular-season record. It was a worthy goal to pursue, and the Warriors did it.
Yet elders who've seen many a basketball season worried about it. Even San Antonio Spurs veteran Tony Parker said plainly, "It doesn't mean anything if you don't win the championship." Indeed, this series has brought into question whether the Warriors can reach another level.
Whether by savvy design or natural development, the Thunder have grown into something far greater than they were in winning 55 regular-season games.
They're raising the roof now because their ceiling was always higher than what they previously reached.
Serge Ibaka, once viewed as a rising star, is finding new reserves of energy after an underwhelming regular season. Other OKC role players keep taking turns in the playoffs being noticed for their amazing improvement: first Enes Kanter, then Dion Waiters, then Steven Adams, now Andre Roberson.
There has been nothing new to combat that from Golden State's book of known entities.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook fall into this category as well, believe it or not. History tells us that stars at their age—both are 27—begin to mesh individual greatness with team accomplishment in a manner they were too immature to pursue before.
Curry received every first-place vote in this year's unanimous NBA Most Valuable Player balloting, but Durant and Westbrook were each legitimate contenders and top-five finishers. Now they've both found another gear to their games.
They're doing a ton more on defense, and they're deciding when to score and when to set up teammates just as Thunder coach Billy Donovan envisioned they could.
Durant and Westbrook are better than in the regular season…and Curry is not.
There are a slew of game-breakdown reasons why the Thunder match up especially well with the Warriors. Golden State has always been susceptible to turnovers, and Oklahoma City is activating its awesome transition game with them. Rebounding dominance is also helping the Thunder play with pace.
Whether in transition or just attacking inside, the Thunder are easily getting whistles—another calculated plan. As Durant said of the Warriors, "They use their hands really well, so we try to use that against them."
It was perfect scheduling for Oklahoma City to draw the Spurs before the Warriors, because the opponents are so similar in their offensive purposes. The Thunder defense learned to be fundamentally sound and active while attuned to switching against a San Antonio team that overachieved on regular-season execution—exactly what would be needed against Golden State.
Instead of scrambling into rotations that can't keep up with ball and player movement, OKC learned to hold its ground and maximize its defensive strength.
That has been a problem for a Warriors team not quite playing at full health.
One of the noteworthy things Kerr said from the postgame dais Tuesday night was that Curry was "not injured. He's coming back from the knee [sprain], but he's not injured."
That's code for Curry not being close to 100 percent—he has evident knee pain the day after each game—which brings us back to the biggest reason why the Warriors are on the brink.
Without Curry being a transcendent superstar, the Warriors' ceiling is more along the lines of 55 wins than 73. So when it comes to flies in this ointment, Curry's inability to flit this way, buzz that way and shoot down the opposition's spirit is the most critical of all.
And it's not just whatever physical limitation he has. He seems to be suffering from the very mental letdown that Green brought up regarding defending champions.
Curry fully intended to bring more aggression, energy and sharpness to Game 4. He said Monday exactly what he was going to do: not try to win it all himself, not skip steps in the offense, not lose patience with the process of the game.
He simply could not do what he said he would. He had Kerr yelling at him first for forcing shots, then for forcing passes. When Curry got good opportunities near the rim, he couldn't will the shots home.
Perhaps Curry cannot overcome the human nature of sitting on a wonderful comfort-zone throne he has built for himself.
He's used to gambling on himself and it paying off for everyone. Even though he talked specifically before Game 4 about cutting down his room for error, he hasn't been able to do it.
That doesn't mean Curry can't play better with his back completely up against the wall, but the Thunder have a long list of whys and hows going for them that the Warriors don't.
Above all, the Thunder have growth going for them. They have an empowering feeling of progress and discovery. They have a commanding 3-1 series lead.
And the Warriors don't.
Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @KevinDing.
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