5 Keys to Epic Golden State Warriors-Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder is upon us. This is it—for both teams.

After falling into a 3-1 series hole, a deficit that was supposed to be their death knell, the Warriors could complete an improbable comeback. Or will the Thunder do what they couldn’t in Games 5 and 6 and put the reigning champions away for good?

We have the five keys to Monday night’s Game 7, each of which will play an integral part in determining the team that gets to square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.

OKC’s Clutch Play

During the final five minutes of Game 6, the Warriors outscored the Thunder by 10 points. Oklahoma City also committed five turnovers down the stretch compared to Golden State’s zero.

Was it just a bad night for OKC? Or was it perhaps a sign of something bigger and more concerning?

It’s the latter. Even though the Thunder have been the better team for most of this series, they have wilted when it matters most, succumbing to both mental miscues and the superior play of the (potentially) best-ever Warriors.

Oklahoma City is 1-2 this series in games that enter crunch time and has put forth a Jekyll and Hyde act that is truly unnerving if you’re a Thunder supporter:

Ten minutes isn’t a huge sample size, but it’s enough to have cost Oklahoma City two possible victories. So it matters.

Most of its shot attempts are coming from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In a vacuum, this is a good thing. But they have been part of the problem, per NBA.com’s John Schuhmann:

Durant & Westbrook are a combined 1-for-12 on clutch shots in the conference finals: https://t.co/E0TvTJwDbM

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 29, 2016

Simple tweaks such as protecting the ball better to ensure every crunch-time possession ends with a shot would go a long way in strengthening the Thunder’s late-game efforts. And they desperately need something more—anything—from their two stars.

If they cannot execute when the game is in doubt, with their season on the line, there won’t be a season for them to save.

Battle of the Boards

Oklahoma City has mostly pummeled Golden State on the glass in this series. The Thunder are plus-26 on the defensive boards and plus-34 in the general rebounding department.

Though the Warriors have scrapped together two straight victories while playing to a net minus on the glass, the team that grabbed more rebounds won each of the first four games. And if OKC noticeably outworks the Dubs under the rim, it limits how liberally the latter’s head coach, Steve Kerr, can use his smaller lineups.

Dictating the style of a game is a huge advantage. If Golden State slots one of Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli or Anderson Varejao in the middle, it has a body to throw on Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka or Enes Kanter. But it …

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