Warriors Still Have Plenty to Prove Despite Season-Saving Effort vs. Thunder

The Golden State Warriors were good enough when they needed to be, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-111 Thursday to stave off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Despite the season-saving result, the Warriors’ chances of toppling the Thunder twice more seem slim. Fueled by the desperation of must-win stakes, Golden State still only mustered occasional flashes of its dominant 73-win selves. There were positives to build on, but it’s difficult to say the Warriors’ win tipped the balance of power away from Oklahoma City.

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Chief among the encouraging signs was the return of Golden State’s defensive intensity.

After hemorrhaging points all series (and particularly in Games 3 and 4), the Warriors shored up their interior fortifications. Andrew Bogut showed up big in the box score, logging a postseason-high 15 points and 14 rebounds, but his activity and intimidation as a rim protector were even more valuable, as this tidbit from ESPN Stats & Info illustrates:

The Thunder have missed 12 of their first 13 shots in the paint

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 27, 2016

After averaging 55 points in the paint in Games 3 and 4, the Thunder managed just 30 Thursday. Turning away from their vaunted small-ball units more than ever, the Dubs also had success scoring inside against OKC, amassing 48 of their own paint points.

Among the many remarkable Thunder achievements in this series, forcing the Warriors to mostly abandon the Death Lineup that so thoroughly wiped out the league this year stands out as the biggest. It seems the Warriors now understand downsizing is far from a sure path to success. Staying bigger and giving more minutes to Bogut (especially if he manages to play like this again) looks like the best way forward.

Golden State seems to know that now.

In addition to Bogut’s surprising re-emergence, Draymond Green steadied himself after two brutal contests. His activity spiked, his defense picked up and his intensity found more productive outlets than at any …

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