Can Thunderstruck Golden State still be saved?
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and forward Serge Ibaka (9) embrace as Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) walks away during the second half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City, Sunday, May 22, 2016. AP
THE GOLDEN State Warriors haven’t lost two in a row over the last 87 games.
The defending NBA champions, mark it, had previously gone down 2-1 on the road in the post-season, but managed to strike back magnificently all the way to the top.
There’s, however, no need for a close look to see Golden State has been pushed to the most perilous edge in championship history following Monday’s humiliating devastation in the hands of Oklahoma.
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The experts were right. The Warriors haven’t been in anything like this before.
At the end of the third quarter Monday, with the Warriors buried in an avalanche of baskets, coach Steve Kerr, drooped, was caught staring blankly from the bench, his bright small boy’s eyes suddenly drained of hard-earned depth.
It was obvious Kerr didn’t know the exact voltage of the thunder that struck them.
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It was a horrible crushing, one that would picture Golden State on the floor in fragments.
The manhandling was so severe, there are doubts the Warriors could readily recover the way they did in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs at home.
Veteran basketball writer Shaun Powell of NBA.com was exact: The Warriors were up “against a different beast.”
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The final score (133-105) was less awful than the game itself.
The Warriors trailed by 41 at one point.
At their worst, their dullest, the Warriors were 2-for-22 from the field in one sick stretch.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson punished the rim from the 3-point field, going 5 for 19 between themselves.
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Not to worry, coach Kerr assured once he has recomposed himself.
“I’m confident that we’re going to come out and play a really good game,” Kerr said.
“Not time to panic, it’s just time to get to the basics,” Thompson chimed in.
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Kevin Durant, after another memorable all-around performance, had a stark statement.
“We put our foot on the gas,” he said, an obvious dig at Draymond Green, spiritual leader of the Warriors, who was assessed a flagrant foul for kicking Steven Adams on the groin.
If they’re to come back, the Warriors will have to gather enough energy and speed to cope with premier spitfire Russell Westbrook.
