NBA Update

In Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland smashed Toronto 113 to 87 to win the series four games to two, and to book its place in the NBA Finals.  It will be Cleveland's third trip to the NBA Finals -- they also made it in 2007 and 2015, losing to the Spurs and the Warriors, respectively.  It will be LeBron James's sixth consecutive trip to the finals -- something that no great player has accomplished since the Bill Russell era.  So far LeBron is 2-3 in the finals, so he'll be looking to even the score.  And Cleveland will be looking for its first title since Blanton Collier led the Browns to the NFL Championship in 1964.

But the real story of these playoffs -- at least so far -- has been in the West.  So let's consider the history of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Thunder didn't exist at all until 2008, when the Seattle SuperSonics abandoned their hometown for a new start in Oklahoma City.  Four years later, a young Thunder team led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Hardin swept through the Western Conference -- smashing Dallas (4-0), the Lakers (4-1) and the Spurs (4-2) along the way.  A new Superteam appeared to be on the horizon -- and when Oklahoma City beat Miami 105-94 in the first game of the NBA Finals, it appeared that the Thunder would likely go all the way.

But that didn't happen.  The Thunder lost the next game, 100-96.  And then they lost Game Three, 91-85.  And then they lost Game Four, 104-98.  Every one of these games was a heartbreaker, and they were also marred by some of the worst officiating I can ever remember for an NBA Final.  In Game Five, the Thunder collapsed, the Heat won by 15, and LeBron had his first NBA Title.

Thunder fans had every reason to be disappointed in the outcome of the final -- all the breaks had gone Miami's way, and many of us are still not convinced that Miami was the better team that year.  But on the other hand, the Thunder were a young team, and I expected a rematch the next year.

But it was not to happen.  The Thunder gave away James Harden, and the team was not the same without him.  In 2013, OKC actually had the number-one seed in the West, but lost in the second round to the fifth seed, Memphis, in a brutal defensive struggle where the Grizzlies won four close games in a row.  In 2014, the Thunder fought their way back to the Western Conference Finals, but were eliminated by San Antonio four games to two -- losing the last game at home in overtime.  In 2015, the Thunder were hobbled by injuries and missed the playoffs entirely.

By this time, many of us had quit paying much attention to the Thunder -- they had broken up their great triumvirate, they had lost so many close games, and Russell Westbrook appeared to be fundamentally uncoachable.  Besides, there were now two great powers in the West:  the Spurs (who won the NBA Title in 2014) and the Warriors (who won in in 2015).  So we didn't think it would make that much of a difference -- except to Florida Gator fans -- when the Thunder hired Billy Donovan as their new coach.  And we didn't pay much attention when the Thunder went 55-27 to grab the third seed in the Western Conference -- the Warriors had gone 73-9 and the Spurs had gone 67-15.  And we didn't pay much attention when the Thunder rolled over Dallas 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs -- because the Spurs were up next, and the Spurs would have home court advantage, and the Spurs would take out OKC.  And sure enough, the Spurs won the first game 124-92, and we said, "See, told you so."

And then, for the first time since 2012, the Thunder came back.  Instead of trying to control Westbrook, Donovan had  convinced the Thunder to concentrate on defense.  And almost before anyone knew what had happened, OKC had won 7 out of 9 games against the Spurs and the Warriors (home teams listed first): 

5/2:  San Antonio 97 - 98 Oklahoma City
5/6:  Oklahoma City 96 - 100 San Antonio
5/8:  Oklahoma City 111 - 97 San Antonio
5/10:  San Antonio 91 - 95 Oklahoma City
5/12:  Oklahoma City 113 - 99 San Antonio
5/16:  Golden St. 102 - 108 Oklahoma City
5/18:  Golden St. 118 - 91 Oklahoma City
5/22:  Oklahoma City 133 - 105 Golden St.
5/24:  Oklahoma City 118 - 94 Golden St.

Even after Golden State fought back to win Game Five by the score of 120-111, thereby forcing a Game Six in Oklahoma City, you still had to like the Thunder's chances.  After all, they had rested up during Game Two against Golden State -- and had crushed the Warriors in Games Three and Four.  You know that the Warriors would give it everything they had in Game Six -- after all, it was an elimination game for them -- but the Thunder now appeared to be the better team.

And sure enough, the Thunder led 97-92 with four and one-half minutes to go, despite a spectacular performance from Klay Thompson of the Warriors (who would set a record with 11 three-pointers in a playoff game).  The Thunder had taken what the Warriors had to dish out, they were at home, they were in the lead.  Victory would be a tremendous vindication for Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Billy Donovan.  Winning back-to-back series against former NBA Champions, both of whom had started with home court advantage, both of whom had won at least 67 games, would be a spectacular achievement.

Then this happened (OKC possessions in italics):

4:31 left:  Green FT (OKC 97, GSW 93)
4:13 left:  Durant misses a jump shot
3:58 left:  Curry 3-pointer (OKC 97, GSW 96)
3:42 left:  Westbrook 2 FTs (OKC 99, GSW 96)
3:20 left:  Iguodala misses a 3-pointer
2:55 left:  Durant turnover
2:48 left:  Curry 3-pointer (game tied at 99)

It happened so fast.  The Thunder were getting ready to pad their lead, and then the ball was gone, and the game was scrambled, and Curry was open, and the game was tied.  But OKC was still at home, and still had a chance to take the lead -- which they did.

2:37 left:  Westbrook misses layup -- rebound to OKC
2:25 left:  Durant misses jump shot -- rebound to OKC
2:22 left:  Roberson put back (OKC 101, GSW 99)

See?  That's the play the Warriors couldn't stop -- the Thunder are just bigger and stronger than Golden State, so OKC could attack the rim over and over.  It seemed almost impossible for the Warriors to defend them.  And then this happened (OKC possessions in italics):

2:06 left:  Iguodala layup (game tied at 101)
1:40 left:  Westbrook turnover (steal by Iguodala)
1:35 left:  Thompson 3-pointer (GSW 104, OKC 101)
1:23 left:  Durant misses 3-pointer
1:01 left:  Curry misses layup
0:55 left:  Westbrook dribbles the ball off his foot and of bounds
0:39 left:  Thompson misses 3-pointer
0:36 left:  Westbrook turnover (steal by Iguodala)
0:14 left:  Curry makes driving bank shot (GSW 106, OKC 101)
0:13 left:  Westbrook throws away the in-bounds pass (steal by Curry)

And that was it.  Westbrook committed four turnovers in five possessions, and the game was lost.

There's not a whole lot left to say at this point.  OKC has one more chance -- Game Seven, in Oakland, tonight -- to save its reputation.  I have no doubt that the Thunder have enough talent to win this game.  I won't be particularly surprised if they do win.  They're that good. But if they don't win, I will always remember that moment in Game Six, with 1 minute and 40 seconds left, when Iguodala stole the ball and almost immediately, Klay Thompson was hitting a three-pointer to put Golden State on top.  Unless something changes tonight, that sequence perfectly captures the legacy of these two squads.