Thunder dumbstruck: Squandering 3-1 lead leaves OKC at a loss

11:59 PM ET

OAKLAND, Calif. — The confetti was beginning to make its way from the ceiling to the floor, and Kevin Durant untucked his jersey and tapped his chest, pointing to his family in the crowd. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season was ending in Game 7 on the road, as the Golden State Warriors held on for a 96-88 victory.

Durant found Dion Waiters first, hugging the guard at midcourt and patting him on the head. Durant then started shaking hands, finding Draymond Green, then Harrison Barnes, then over to Stephen Curry. As the party on the floor began, Thunder players headed for the tunnel, winding through way through the chaos. Durant was last, stopping for a moment on the far baseline.

The Thunder forward tried to will his team back in the game as they weathered a barrage of 3s from Curry and Klay Thompson in the second half. Durant finished with 27 points, including seven straight late in the fourth that cut the lead to four with 1:40 left. With the shot clock winding down, Curry drew a 3-point foul on Serge Ibaka, and the MVP sunk all three. Durant missed a pull-up on the next possession, and the vision of an NBA Finals appearance began to disappear.

The disappointment of the final three games will sting for an entire summer — especially if things don’t go well starting July 1, which is when Durant officially becomes a free agent — but the Thunder truly did have a remarkable run.

The Thunder face a long summer after squandering a 3-1 lead in the West finals. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Rewind to mid-February, when it felt like the entire season was unraveling. The Thunder lost eight of 12 coming out of the All-Star break as the organization dealt with tragedy, as assistant coach Monty Williams’ wife Ingrid …

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