NBA Week 18 Rewind: Stephen Curry keeps changing the game

The Key Games and Results of Week 18

This week’s segment is going to be a little more focused than normal. Instead of looking back over three key games, we’re going to focus on the dramatics of what could easily be considered the best game of the season. Due to the record-breaking, contender-filled, All-Star-studded nature of the affair, let’s get straight into the Warriors’ thrilling victory over the Thunder from Saturday night.

Thanks to Stephen Curry and everyone else involved, this game was probably the best of the season so far. It was often back and forth for most of the game after the Thunder came out strong to take a 18-5 lead after six minutes. OKC were playing their typical brand of aggressive, fast-paced basketball, breaking out in transition for quick scores after coming up with sound defensive stops.

Of course, the Warriors didn’t go anywhere. Kevin Durant was doing his best as he abused matchups against players like Andre Iguodala in the post, but the Warriors had trimmed the lead to single digits as the score went to 32-24 in favor of the Thunder two minutes into the second.

As the second quarter continued, though, and Curry buried a couple of threes and sent one over the top of 7-foot Steven Adams to cut the Thunder’s lead to 42-41, the Warriors were looking to their superstar on a night that would be nothing shy of spectacular. Then, as he so often does, Durant answered back en route to his 37-point, 50 percent shooting night to lead his team to a 57-46 lead at half time.

In the break, pressures started boiling over in the Warriors locker room as Draymond Green began shouting and using profanity that could be heard outside, questioning his shooting role (per Ethan Strauss of ESPN). As he continued to go 0-of-8 on the night and tallied just two points, there was an obvious cause for his frustration.

For such a tight-knit team, though, it was a rare moment to see pressure boiling over. Soon after, they had an on-court scare when Curry was forced to leave the game after he fell following a layup and Russell Westbrook landed on his ankle, twisting it to the pain of everyone watching.

To the relief of his teammates in need, Curry quickly returned to the game in the third quarter. He helped the Warriors cut down the lead, but Durant kept OKC ahead as the quarter wound down thanks to two huge three-pointers. With a turnaround jumper from the post over Shaun Livingston in the fourth, he pushed the lead back to 10 at 88-78.

Along with Westbrook playing at full throttle with 26 points and 13 assists they led the team as per usual, along with 15 points, 20 rebounds and two blocks from Serge Ibaka. Although, Russ finishing with 10-of-29 shooting and seven turnovers was far less exciting for fans.

Then, it was Chef Curry time. He kept pulling up from several feet behind the arc, hitting shots with an effortless flick of the wrist as defenders were left clueless. No matter how close they could play him, he wasn’t being stopped as he went towards 46 points and a joint NBA record 12 threes.

Durant put the Thunder up by four again as he sunk a three with just 15 seconds left in the game. Until Klay Thompson (finished with 32 points) got a sudden layup and things fell apart, it looked like the game was OKC’s. To get the Warriors in a position for overtime, though, it took some scrappy defense and a touch of luck.

While the double team by the Warriors was exactly the kind of play needed, Durant’s hurled pass and subsequent foul on Iguodala was pretty much the worst way that scenario could have played out for the Thunder as the clock expired. If Durant held back ever so slightly when he contested the shot and Iguodala didn’t make two huge free throws to send the game to overtime, the result of this contest would have been entirely different.

Finally, after a closely fought overtime period, there couldn’t have been a more dramatic finish than Curry pulling up from 30 feet as the hopes of Oklahoma City were crushed right before its eyes.

Curry was simply unstoppable. We just need to be thankful that we’re all witnessing the game being changed before us, as one of the NBA’s future greats consistently delivers in ways no one ever anticipated.

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