The Western Conference Final began with a surprise Oklahoma City Thunder surprise 102-108 i Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena, inflicting the third home knockout of the season on the reigning champions, but above all by going ahead 1-0 in the series and overturning the home factor. Oklahoma doesn't stop anymore and, in the wake of the last three consecutive successes against San Antonio (which earned the final 4-2 and the elimination of the Spurs), it performs the feat that makes these finals in the west even more exciting and spectacular, resetting the favors of the forecast towards the Warriors and giving reason to those who predicted a much more balanced series compared to what was seen during the regular season.
And to say that at the interval, with the hosts ahead by 13 (60-47), one could already think of yet another crushing victory for the rulers of the regular season, with Thompson already at 19 points on one side and Westbrook on the other, the real driver of his team so far in these playoffs even more than Durant , strangely stopped at 3. Upon returning from the changing rooms, however, the music changes (despite the maximum advantage at +14 at the beginning), the number 0 in the blue jersey puts 19 on the scoresheet in the third quarter alone (in the end they will be 27, top scorer of the evening), the Thunder's physicality and centimeters make the difference in rebounding, Thompson stops and Golden State handles a few too many balls badly. The result is that the guests score 38 points in the third period and appear in the last ten minutes close to the Warriors, only three lengths ahead, after the formation of the bay had attempted a new extension.
In the last quarter Oklahoma is worse athletically, Westbrook is everywhere, important points arrive from the bench with Kanter and Waiters and in the final possessions Kevin Durant takes the chair (26 points), with the number 35 who makes the decisive baskets to completely silence Oakland fans and make it clear that the Thunder are ready for the decisive step this time, tired of being defined as the great unfinished in recent years. And among the factors that suggest that something has really changed there is also the bad face and the contagious competitive spirit of Steven Adams, the New Zealand center in his third year in the NBA and with a look of his own, who has made enormous progress this season. Only 22 years old, but under the basket he isn't afraid to battle with anyone, already decisive in the victorious series against San Antonio, he was also decisive last night by scoring 16 points, in addition to the usual amount of rebounds.
In the evening favorable to the Thunder, also worth mentioning yet another arbitration mistake of these playoffs (and always in the final possessions): on +3 for the guests with a few seconds to play, Westbrook committed an obvious step infringement (always a very flexible theme overseas, especially when it comes to superstars) ignored by the referees. A thousand times better the way to deal with these episodes as they do in American sport, simply after the game they don't deal with them, the decision is accepted and they are forgotten (or almost), compared to hours and hours of slow motion (and controversy) as happens for example when it comes to football in our area, it is certain that even those that happen there (and often in the NBA the referees make decisions that are difficult to understand) are episodes that can change the course of action, matches and, perhaps, victories.
Among the ranks of Golden State, said of Thompson who finished with 25 points, one more than a solid Draymond Green, the fresh two-time MVP Steph Curry, now fully recovered from the ankle problem, scored 26, with 6 triples , some as always absurd (but out of 14 attempts) and he gave away the usual senseless magic, but this time he also hurried a few plays and made a couple of wrong decisions, especially in the second half, in the decisive moments of the match. Now we already think about race-2, scheduled in the Italian night between Wednesday and Thursday always on the bay, the furious reaction of Curry and his companions is to be expected, with the Warriors who are still favorites, but who absolutely must make them the second round in order not to jeopardize a historic season during which everything had gone as they wanted until a few hours ago (with some alarm bells in the previous series with Portland), on the other side Durant and Westbrook will try to definitively bite their rivals, injured after this surprising first game.
Moving east, tonight also begins the other conference final, the one between the undisputed queen Cleveland and Toronto, which achieved this result for the first time in the history of the franchise, after closing a very tight series against Miami at 4-3 only last Sunday, which therefore failed in its attempt to challenge its former king in jersey 23. So everything according to forecasts, with the first and second strength of the regular season fighting for access to the final, but unlike the other series, here we should have much less balance and a clear favorite, obviously Cleveland. The Cavaliers arrive at this point with only eight games played in these playoffs, having swept away with a double 4-0 insidious opponents (and who perhaps deserved something more) such as Detroit and Atlanta, led by their big three James, Irving and Love , but also with the contribution of the "second lines", Smith above all. The Raptors, after celebrating this historic milestone, can certainly play with less pressure than LeBron and his teammates, and their chances of making a sensational trip will depend, as always, on the duo's plays DeRozan-Lowry, but the Cavs in these playoffs, as expected, have raised their performances by a lot, after a not entirely convincing regular season (if a first position in the standings can be defined as such).
It begins in Ohio, with Cleveland obviously having home court on his side and wanting to proceed smoothly towards the final act, looking the other way with interest and awaiting one between Curry and Durant.
