Warriors Regain Series Momentum by Channeling Familiar, Dominant Swagger

In an epic matchup marked by incomprehensible offensive firepower, MVPs on both sides and the defending champs in a desperate spot, the Golden State Warriors did the unthinkable Wednesday in a 118-91 Game 2 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They made it feel customary. Predictable. Mundane.

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This was a Warriors effort we watched dozens of times during the most dominant regular season in NBA history. Objectively, there was nothing ho-hum about the stifling defense, quick-trigger shooting and breathless scoring binges. That stuff, as usual, was incredible to behold.

It’s just that Golden State wasn’t supposed to be able to do those things at this stage of the postseason or against this scorching Thunder team.

The Warriors cooked up their regular-season recipe perfectly—pushing past early turnovers, gradually clamping down on defense and then smirking as Stephen Curry’s game-breaking surge broke the Thunder’s spirit and ignited a previously anxious crowd.

The rediscovery came at a necessary time. An 0-2 hole would have almost certainly been fatal, even for the Warriors. And for most of the first half, it wasn’t clear Golden State would ever find what it was looking for.

But then a lightning-quick spurt in the final minute and 10 seconds of the first half turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point advantage at the break. Andre Iguodala punctuated the critical run with this absurd finish:

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Then, Curry’s eruption, in which he scored 15 points in just under two minutes of the third quarter, effectively ended the contest.

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