NBA Playoffs: Keys for Warriors, Thunder to win Game 7

May 28, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter in game six of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

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May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the ball around Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) during the third quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

For Oklahoma City, it would be easy to assume that it is the Thunder who have their backs against the wall entering Game 7. Just 48 minutes from the second NBA Finals appearance since moving from Seattle, OKC has watched their first two chances to finish the series go away in the blink of an eye.

The Thunder still have plenty of keys that could lead to a conference title. First, Golden State still hasn’t shown that they can handle the bigger presence in the paint from OKC, especially when it comes to dealing with Stephen Adams. If the Thunder can get him the ball consistently, it could easily put Draymond Green and others in foul trouble and force them to HAVE to win by shooting threes.

Another key is that one of the team’s superstars, forward Kevin Durant, has to have a much better shooting game than he did in Game 6. It’s true that you can’t control what shots go in and which don’t, but the Thunder can’t win if KD is shooting low percentage shots from outside the arc.

Finally, the Thunder need better play from their bench than they got in Game 6. Dion Waiters needs to come off the bench and get more than five shots a game, while the same can be said for Enes Kanter when he is giving Adams a rest in the middle. If these three things can happen, Oklahoma City can be the champions of the Western Conference.

Next: Keys for Golden State

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