Kiwi Steve in the NBA – Western Conference Finals, Game 6
It may not last longer than another game but the Thunder’s 2016 playoffs run continues to resonate among fans of the small island nation of New Zealand and also those who enjoy filthy moustaches and physical basketball.
In fact one of the finest aspects of the whole thing has been a global elevation in the NZ vs Australia sporting rivalry. Kiwi Steve vs Aussie Bogut, mate it hasn’t even been a contest, really. With the exception of a vintage Bogie performance in game five, Adams has played him off the park. Compare these numbers through six games:
ADAMS: 29.4 MINS / 10.2 PTS / 8.8 REB / 0.8 AST / 0.8 BLK / 20-36 FG / 21-31 FT
BOGUT: 18.8 MINS / 5.3 PTS / 6.0 REB / 2.2 AST / 1.2 BLK / 15-21 FG / 2-6 FT
NewsOK: “These two countries, separated by a three-hour flight over the Tasman Sea, have peaceful relations. Except when it comes to sports. They are heated rivals in everything, but particularly rugby and cricket.”
Hooray to Aotearoa.
But this series, man, these Western Conference Finals. It has been such an incredible series of whirlwind basketball and monster stakes and for once a playoff matchup has actually lived up to that hype. With that, it’s gonna take a game seven to split them and that ain’t good news for Adams and the Thunder, going out on the road to GSW. Still, whatever happens it has been a journey like we never expected. Bloody good stuff, really.
And of course, here’s another of these ones:
BOX SCORE
vs GSW, G6 (L 108-101):
28 MINS, 9 PTS (3/6 FG 3/5 FT), 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, 4 PF
GAME SIX
This was the chance, game six in front of a home crowd with a 3-2 series lead. An NBA Finals spot on the offering if they can manage just one more win. The biggest game of Steven Adams’ career to date. Here we go…
It looked like Steve shoulda had a foul as he went to the rim after an early offensive board, but a quick glare in the direction of the sideline ref had no effect. However Adams wasn’t about to sulk, he got back and came up with a superb defensive hustle play to win the ball right back, KD opening the scoring account soon after.
Interesting Adams sat after only one foul. Game five showed that they can’t really afford Adams to sit long stretches because of the matchup limitations that leaves them in so understandable from Billy Donovan. Though it was also curious that it was Enes Kanter that replaced him early, the Thunder resisting the chance to go small when they have in earlier games – granted the small ball five wasn’t far away. After a timeout, OKC went a little mental and scored seven straight, surging into a 16-12 lead. Despite a couple lapses they held that on for a 23-20 first quarter lead.
Steve picked up his second foul late in the first, reaching in on Steph Curry at the perimeter. Definitely a soft call, which was met with arena-wide boos, but as Chris Webber said in commentary, it was pretty stupid to take the risk in that situation anyway – especially given how his coach and already showed how important it was to keep him out of foul trouble.
For the Warriors it was threes from Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes keeping them going. Curry missed all three first quarter attempts to be the only GSW starter still scoreless while Klay Thompson began 3/10. Kevin Durant, though, was even worse at 2/10 FG. Eventually the big scorers would get into a groove, they always do, but early on that was not the case. KD did sink a dagger early in the second to give OKC their biggest lead so far at 29-20.
Andre Roberson went up to on an alley-oop for his first points and that meant Curry was the only starter without points – it was a 10-1 Thunder start to the 2Q. Aaaand then Steph drilled a deep triple and things were back to normal.
We saw another example of the emerging Adams Bullet Pass too as he fair hurled one on the bounce to KD cutting in from the corner to the rim, just some gorgeous triangle passing. Except KD missed the reverse layup so no highlight reel there. Instead, there was the business of revenge to take care of…
Draymond, put it on a poster. What a dunk, what a thunderous dunk. Take it away, NBA Twitter:
It was like an entire series of pent-up frustration exploded all over Draymond’s wrecked contest. Remember this moment when you’re watching it replayed in years to come.
Anyway, the Warriors weren’t sleeping with their season on the line. Having been down by as many as 13, they fought back thanks largely to Klay Thompson’s ability from deep. Missed free throws from OKC (Serge and Russ the culprits here) allowed the lead to shrink more than it could have and then Steph just stood up Ibaka with a loooong three. Unguardable when he’s hitting those. Ibaka, by the way, was playing really well with 12 points and a couple of ruthless blocks.
Half time and it was 53-48 to the Thunder, a lead they’d held most of this game but hardly the blowout margin of certain other games this series. Thompson and Durant with 16 points each, Westbrook with 11 as well. Adams played 13 first half mins for 3 points and 4 rebounds.
Whatever Steve Kerr said at the break, it bloody worked. The Dubs came flying out of the traps, Klay Thompson sinking two slick triples before Andre Iguodala tied it and Dray put ‘em up on the break, an 11-4 run to start the third. Probably not ideal was the Thunder shooting 2 of 16 from 3pt at this stage. Also, Adams picked up his third foul with a bit over eight mins to go in the third. He stayed in (Roberson was playing on 4 PFs). Suddenly we were caught in a back and forth game.
Kiwi Steve has been working so hard on his post game and this season we’ve seen the benefits of that coming through. This move on Ezeli was just quality, showing wonderful patience and good strength. Steve made the free throw too, while Ezeli then went and committed an off. foul on a clear out.
Rare bit of emotion showed after that bad boy from Steve with the double fists, he wasn’t the only one either…
Flex, son.
Curry made a smooth-ass three taking advantage of Russ on the switch, before Durant finally got one of his own to land from deep. And then Roberson picked up his fifth foul on a charge, meaning Dion Waiters could look forward to some big minutes – one of his first acts after checking back in was to go flying into the crowd horizontally trying in vain to save a loose ball. Curry shot over Morrow as the Thunder went small. The Warriors responded by bringing in Bogut. Westbrook made good on a three point play to hit 20p/10a for the night with more than a quarter to play – and that with only one turnover. This was a sneakily big game for him, on offence at least. Meanwhile Curry scored 11 straight for GSW.
The dumb thing about Roberson’s foul trouble – first of all let’s acknowledge how strange it is that now that’s even a factor – is that he took a couple of intentional hack fouls earlier. Kanter then assumed that role as Bogie missed a couple from the line, shout outs to Kanter because he hasn’t had a lot of chances this series yet he had some fine moments late in the third.
So 12 minutes left in the game, OKC up 83-75. KD with 25, Russ 20; Curry with 23, Klay 22. This is what they call crunch time, isn’t it?
Yeah… Klay drained a three to start the fourth, his seventh of the game. Next thing though and Mo Speights got called for an off-ball offensive foul getting tangled with Anthony Morrow. Yes, Anthony Morrow. But it came the possession after he and Kiwi Steve had gotten a lil dirty in the paint. Adams made a crazy play to tip a rebound into the back of a Warriors player to keep possession but then Klay hit #8 – the playoffs record for threes in a game was nine. Was nine. He soon tied it for 89-84.
It was nothing short of old fashioned warfare out there. Westbrook going hundies to the hoop to finish in traffic, Draymond wrestling an off-board despite the bodies although he missed the shot. Steven Adams drew a foul off Green as he was thrown to the floor going for a loosie. Warriors timeout, everyone take a breath with 5:48 to play and the Thunder up 93-87 trying to close out the series.
Adams made 1/2 at the line. Cue Kaly #10 and the NBA record for threes in a postseason game:
Adams copped his fourth foul to send Green to the line. He missed and he made. Green and Roberson both had five of them, Ibaka also four. Steph made a three and it was 97-96, so tenuous, so perilous. Westbrook took a foul, first shot good… second shot… also good. Surprisingly neither team was shooting their FTs at all well. Iggy popped a three over Steve but Ibaka rebounded the miss. Steph Curry though, he did not miss. Game tied at 99-99.
Roberson and Iguodala traded twos before Klay lasered his eleventh (!) triple of the night for the 104-101 lead. Twice the Thunder tried to push it forward, playing with their small guys in there for the close. Twice Draymond Green was able to reach in and either poke the ball away or cause a fumble. Curry made an icy layup, Curry picked off the inbounds pass. Just a stunning fourth quarter fight back by the defending champs and we are heading for a Game Seven. Not what the Thunder wanted at all, but exactly what this incredible series deserves.
Durant scored 29 and Westbrook 28 but Curry scored 29 and Klay Thompson was unbelievable with a career-playoff-high 41 – shooting 11/18 from three.
Did they choke it? Well, the Thunder didn’t have any control over Iggy’s late game defence or the ridiculous shots that the Splash Bros hit. But they also led by seven points with only five mins on the clock – nothing close to an unattainable margin but enough to where you can dictate the game. The Thunder didn’t do that, they got a little passive, a little predictable as the Warriors started throwing up bombs and shot their way back into the game. An incredible comeback by them but a loss that could haunt the Oklahoma City franchise for a long time to come. This is basketball and this is what basketball does.
Billy Donovan: “I felt like we didn't do a great job coming down the stretch, and I think we've made such great improvements coming down the stretch in terms of just on both offense and defense of doing a better job of executing and that really wasn't -- hasn't been us the last month and a half. I thought we got a little stagnant coming down the stretch. Then I thought us defensively, we were a little bit late, they made some tough shots, and made some plays. But a seven-game series, I'm excited. I think our guys are, too, about the opportunity to play again.”
Daily Thunder: "We thought Draymond Green’s kick to Steven Adams was the low-blow in this series. But what the Warriors did tonight was the real one."
But, ah, on the positive side:
