Golden State Warriors

Three takeaways from Warriors win at OKC

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:46 a.m. ET

Fansided, Carlos Murillo/FanSided via Blue Man Hoop

Feb 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors came away with a big win in Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma City. Here are three takeaways from that matchup.

The Golden State Warriors went into Oklahoma City and handled business. They defeated the Thunder 130-114. The Warriors faced little resistance.

There’s playoff atmospheres and hostile territories, but this was something different. There’s no preparing for what Kevin Durant and the Warriors had to play in front of. That was one of those rare energies that only a select few have to experience. Most notably, LeBron James, but even this was different than his return to his former team.

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On paper, this was just another game. Of course, it meant much more than that. This was one of those rare games nothing really happened and, yet, folks will remember it for a very long time.

Despite all of the narratives and emotions, the Warriors and the Thunder did have an actual basketball game to play. The two teams went out and did what they do. Golden State, for the third time this season, blew OKC out.

The Warriors are playing for more than just one individual game. For OKC, this was their title game. Golden State is actually building towards something.

The Warriors are working on becoming a championship team. Every game is an opportunity to continue building chemistry and getting the newcomers comfortable in the new system. It’s a process.

Golden State has to be relieved that this game is in the past now. While this contest was unique, there are still things to be learned. Here are three takeaways from the Golden State Warriors’ big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Feb 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles the ball in front of Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors are savvy defensively

When the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant, people expected them to forget how to play defense. They argued that the loss of Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli would prove to be too much. They were mistaken.

The Warriors still have Draymond Green, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. They have Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Shaun Livingston–players who allow them to do the switching they want to do. Most importantly, they have Ron Adams, a defensive genius.

Kevin Durant has upped his game defensively. He took what he showed in the Western Conference Finals and has applied it on a consistent basis. He’s applied his tools and become one of the league’s top defenders.

Good defense isn’t just about being quick or jumping high. The key to good defense isn’t just switching well; it’s more nuanced than that. Before you win the physical battle, you have to win the psychological one too.

Russell Westbrook is a force to be reckoned with. He’s an absolute monster. His athleticism and strength are unlike anyone has ever seen from the point guard position.

While he certainly is great, he is also very flawed. Westbrook can giveth, but he can also taketh away. And the Warriors know that.

Throughout the night, the Warriors put Durant on Westbrook. It was the high-intensity matchup that everyone wanted to see. It was the main event.

While they’ll play down the matchup, both stars knew what it meant. So did Steve Kerr and the rest of the team. It was a big deal because Westbrook would get himself into trouble.

Westbrook finished the night with 47 points and he shot a very good percentage. However, the damage wasn’t as much as it could have been. He also turned the ball over 11 times and only made three of his 10 three-pointers.

When Westbrook sees a matchup he wants to attack, he becomes fixated. He normally would take this out on Stephen Curry, trying to outmatch him physically. Now he also has Durant to attack to.

Westbrook exerts so much energy trying to get the best of certain matchups that he gets himself into trouble. Sometimes he throws the ball away. Sometimes he takes an ill-advised shot.

This is what the Warriors banked on–Westbrook beating himself. That he’d let his emotions get the best of him at crucial times. That he could be baited into doing something silly.

Golden State is more talented than the Thunder, or any other team for that matter. They’re also the savviest and smartest team in the league, making them that much more deadly.

Klay Thompson has the quietest big nights

The man of the hour was, obviously, Kevin Durant. It was his return that made this intense. It was his history with the city and Westbrook that made this must-see TV.

Behind and the buzz and hype behind Durant’s return to OKC is Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP is coming off a Player of the Month award followed by a Player of the Week award. While he’s had a few off games in a row, he’s, mostly, been great. Curry attracts eyes and draws a crowd.

Behind the three MVP trophies is Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ third most explosive scorer. On any other team, Thompson would be the top option on offense. He would the go-to guy..

On this team, however, he has to play behind Curry and Durant on most nights. This, for the most part, bodes well for Thompson. He can disappear into the corners and attack without the enemy every knowing.

Thompson finished the game with 26 points on 7/12 shooting from the field and 5/8 from beyond the arc. He was absolutely dominant. No one even batted an eye.

Klay Thompson is an unassuming guy. He says funny things in press conferences and, on rare occasions, throws shots at someone else like he did during the NBA Finals when he said it was a grown man’s game. He just goes about his business.

Thompson should be at the top of OKC’s “Most Hated List.” His 11 three-pointers in Game 6 was one of the best performances in playoff history. He dominated the Thunder, forced a Game 7, and, essentially, packed Durant’s bags for him.

The Warriors can have someone as talented as Thompson take a back seat. He also can go off for 26 points like he did and no one will care. It bodes well for their strategies on court if the other team doesn’t even realize where they’re getting picked apart from.

No one in the league has quieter big games than him.

Feb 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Steph Curry is the best point guard in the league

Stephen Curry is still the best point guard in the league. Being the best goes beyond having the gaudiest stats. It goes beyond big dunks and angry faces.

Critics want to say he fell off this season. There were two main arguments when they tried to analyze Curry’s game. Either Kevin Durant’s acquisition ruined him or his MVP-status was a fluke. That his struggling self was actually who he was.

Going up against Mr. Triple-Double himself, Curry nearly had one himself. He had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. He had a well-rounded game.

While Westbrook tied the entire Golden State team with 11 turnovers, Curry had none. In a big game in hostile territory, he took care of the ball and came away with two steals.

The best point guard doesn’t need to have the most assists. He doesn’t need to be the flashiest. He needs to get the job done.

Curry does that and more. While his numbers aren’t as big as last year, his impact and talent didn’t dwindle. He’s still the catalyst for Golden State’s all-time offense. No one makes defenses crumble like he does.

The superstar point guard’s ability to let others take over and pick his spots makes him the best. A leader doesn’t always need to be the center of everything. A great leader can conceded and delegate for the greater good.

Steph Curry just wants to win. He’s the most skilled point guard in the game and, possibly, ever. He has it all and he can do it with a smile on his face.

Sorry Russ, Steph is the one who does what he wants.