5 classic NBA games you can stream on YouTube right now
By Ian Levy
3. Warriors at Thunder, Feb. 27, 2016
If you just want to watch Stephen Curry do his thing, you could pick any number of games. But if you really want to feel his power and talent, you can’t do much better than this game. This one is much more recent than the previous two and ended up on several lists of the best games of the decade. That is to say, you probably remember how this one ends — Curry walking into a 38-foot game-winner at the buzzer in overtime. That shot defined the game and helped build Curry’s legend but everything that led up to it makes this one worth a rewatch.
This was the Thunder doing a trial run of the strategies they’d use to push the Warriors to seven games in the playoffs later this year. And it worked remarkably well. Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds. Kevin Durant has 37 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists before fouling out. Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 20 rebounds and the Thunder had a double-digit lead.
It came apart because all of the Warriors did their thing, not just Curry. He was sparkling, and not just on the game-winner — he racked up 46 points and knocked down 12 3s. But Klay Thompson also had 32. Draymond Green had one of the most Draymond lines ever — 14 rebounds, 14 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks … 2 points on 0-of-8 from the field. This is two powerhouses laying the foundation for a tangled rivalry that was really just beginning.