Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder gave the Golden State Warriors one of their most competitive games in the entire season. Even though the Thunder lost, they showed that they can at least hang with the Warriors. Whether they can do that for a seven-game series remains to be seen, but the Thunder remain confident in themselves, as Durant emphatically stated.
Kevin Durant asked about Warriors and Spurs: "We ain't ducking nobody" pic.twitter.com/ImIoHQVlPZ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2016
Durant poured in 40 points against the Warriors, though he was only 2-for-5 from the field in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook, despite a rough shooting night, still had 27 points and 12 assists. Ever the eloquent one, Westbrook essentially shrugged at the loss, saying the Thunder will be ready for the next bout.
Russell Westbrook on the Warriors: "They’re a pretty good team, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. We’ll be ready for next time."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 7, 2016
Readiness doesn’t always lead to success, though.
The dynamism of Westbrook and Durant is enough to challenge any team, even the Warriors and Spurs. The question will be whether they, along with the rest of the Thunder, can execute well enough to actually overtake them. Saturday’s loss wasn’t an emphatic “no,” but rather a teacher handing back the student’s assignment asking them to re-work the problem. They were close, so close, and now they know their formula was on the right track.
