Warriors defeat Thunder, 121-106: Quotes of the night
Here are the best quotes after the Golden State Warriors’ win at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Golden State Warriors completed their season sweep against the Western Conference rival Oklahoma City Thunder. It wasn’t the thriller that we were all fortunate enough to witness just a week ago when Stephen Curry drained a 38 footer to down the Thunder.
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Curry and Andre Iguodala were both listed as questionable ahead of their showdown with OKC. Both of them went through their normal shooting routines and we’re listed as questionable until game time when head coach Steve Kerr announced that they would be playing.
After their monumental collapse to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, the Thunder looked motivated to get out of their recent funk. They put pressure on Golden State early, matching any run the league’s best team went on. Kevin Durant, continued his great play against the Bay’s team, scoring 32 points. While that’s a significant output, the former MVP is capable of much more so Kerr and the Warriors had to vary the looks they gave him.
Draymond said he asked to guard KD at the start.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) March 4, 2016
Kerr says one of the reasons GSW signed Livingston is how he'd guarded Durant at previous stops
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) March 4, 2016
With all the Durant to Golden State rumors that have been swirling around and picking up momentum, all moves and interactions are looked at under a microscope. The small forward was seen talking to Kerr throughout the night.
Steve Kerr chatting up Kevin Durant near the scorer's table again.
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) March 4, 2016
Kerr wouldn't divulge what he discussed with Durant, mentioned he'd gotten to know him at last year's ASG
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) March 4, 2016
Steve Kerr joked that he asked Kevin Durant where he ate last night and what restaurants he likes in San Francisco.
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) March 4, 2016
Oracle Arena has become the place to be for celebrities, like the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Arguably one of the only individuals whose presence could surpass the greatness of Beyonce is Prince. The entertainer was in attendance, sitting court side near owner Joe Lacob.
Joe Lacob said Prince said "maybe one word" to him when they were sitting together. "I tried."
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) March 4, 2016
With their win on Thursday night, Golden State tied the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ home win streak. They also improved to 55-5, the best mark at this point in the season in NBA history.
Steve Kerr on 44th straight home win: "We take great pride in protecting our home floor. We have an amazing crowd. It’s a remarkable streak”
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) March 4, 2016
Steve Kerr: "Fifty games over .500. I mean, it’s crazy. You can’t even dream this stuff up, but it’s been that kind of season for us.”
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) March 4, 2016
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going in the opposite direction. They’ve lost 6 of their last 8 contests and can’t seem to figure out how to put together a complete game for 48 minutes. With several big losses and some (even worse) close ones, OKC is looking for answers.
Kevin Durant says the adversity for OKC is good: "I'm happy we're going through this" pic.twitter.com/11sAR9qQEn
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 4, 2016
The Oklahoma City Thunder are reeling especially against the top teams in the league. But they’re still a top four seed in the West. With Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way, the Thunder will continue to be an exciting yet polarizing team. With the race for home court advantage and seeding heating up, it’s possible we could see a Warriors/Thunder second round series.
And that would be awesome.