Three Times The Warriors Were 'Done' Against OKC
The Golden State Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals on Monday night after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in a series which saw the Dubs make a historical come back.
There were many times during the seven game series which the defending champions were in a dangerous position to be eliminated from the playoffs.
The Thunder took the Warriors to the brink of elimination leaving fans and critics wondering if the greatest regular season team could give everyone an NBA Finals repeat.
Check out the list below and relive the three times Golden State was written off in the Western Conference Finals before winning three straight games to advance:
1. Two Straight Blow-Out Losses In Oklahoma City
After splitting the first two games in Golden State, the Warriors traveled to Oklahoma City with the hope of winning just one out of the two and gaining home court advantage back.
That, of course, did not happen. The Thunder beat up on the Warriors so badly, many were questioning if Golden State could even keep up.
Oklahoma City won by 28 points in game three and 24 points in game four.
It wasn't looking good for the Warriors.
Now down 3-1 to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the rest of a hot Thunder team, the Warriors bounced back to win game five in Oakland.
2. Thunder Hold Seven Point Lead With Five Minutes Remaining In Game Six.
There were many doubts that the Warriors could even win a game in Oklahoma City after being blown out in games three and four.
Throughout 43 minutes of game six, the Thunder controlled the game. Every time the Warriors started to fight back, the Thunder made a couple baskets to pump up the crowd making a comeback seem unlikely.
With just over five minutes left in the game, Oklahoma City extended its lead to seven points leaving a short amount of time for Golden State to make a come back.
During the last five minutes of the game, the Warriors were led by a scorching hot Klay Thompson who couldn't miss beyond the arc, and Stephen Curry who hit clutch shots when the team needed it most.
The three point shooting was too much for the Thunder to handle. The two teams would head back to Oakland with the series tied 3-3.
3. Westbrook Hits And-1 With Five Seconds Left In First Half Of Game Seven.
Golden State was down by 13 points in the second quarter, but like they often do, they were finishing the quarter strong.
The Warriors cut the lead all the way down to five points with about 10 seconds left in the half. After a Golden State turnover, Westbrook came flying down the court and drained a lay up and went to the line for a free throw.
Although it only extended the lead to just eight points, that play seemed to take the air right out of the building. The game felt like the Warriors just wouldn't be able to catch up and get over the hump.
The air was out of the building only for seconds as Curry rushed down the floor and hit an insane layup off the very top of the backboard.
All of the sudden the momentum switched. The Thunder still had a six point lead at the half, but the body language of the Oklahoma City players looked like they were defeated already.
Golden State went on to dominate the third quarter and held on to the lead in the fourth to finish off an improbable series comeback.