Can the Warriors pull off a comeback?

The Golden State Warriors are facing elimination in the Western Conference Finals. Can they mount a comeback?

The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of elimination in the Western Conference Finals.

Another performance like the ones in the two games in Oklahoma City and this team becomes the laughingstock of the NBA. A 73-win team that didn’t even make it to the NBA Finals. ESPN would probably start making the 30 for 30 on the biggest chokers in league history as soon as the final buzzer goes off. All their hard work would, in the eyes of many, be pointless because the championship would not return to the Bay Area.

The Warriors are down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This series hasn’t been particularly close. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have imposed their will on Golden State. Stephen Curry continues his playoff struggles while Draymond Green looks nothing like the player that single-handedly led the Warriors past Houston and Portland in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The battle of the role players hasn’t been tightly contested either.

Basically, over the course of the first four games, the Warriors have been out-coached, out-hustled, and out-played in every facet of the game. The Warriors are a shell of themselves, at times appearing to be a team that went 9-73 throughout the regular season. They’ve lost control of more games in this series than they did all year.

These two teams are not the same ones that faced off in the regular season. This is a rejuvenated, inspired, and cohesive OKC team while the Warriors are lost, broken, and scared. It’s a surprising development and a disappointing one if you’re Golden State.

Only nine teams in NBA history have come back after trailing 3-1 in a playoff series. Most recently, the Houston Rockets mounted a shocking comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers in last year’s playoffs, which allowed Houston to advance, only to lose to the Warriors in a quick five games. History isn’t on the Warriors’ side. But that’s where their biggest chance lies.

The Warriors have taken everything we know about history and flipped it. They’ve completely re-written the history books this season so what’s one more time? From setting the record to best start in league history with an interim coach to breaking the single-season wins record while challenging every mark in between that. It’s been a spectacular season, one that’s being threatened with an early exit.

Can the Warriors actually pull off the comeback? Absolutely. How? I have no idea.

For pretty much the entire postseason, the Warriors haven’t looked right. Curry going down early threw off their entire approach. Green had to step into a different role, one that doesn’t necessarily suit him. Klay Thompson has had to shoulder more of the offensive load. A lot of guys have had to do things that they haven’t done all year long.

The Warriors managed to get through the first two rounds simply because they’re much more talented than their opponents. Houston is a hot mess and Portland just didn’t have the personnel to outlast Golden State. The Western Conference Finals are completely different, as they’ve run into a hungry team with two top-five players. A team that will punish lackadaisical play.

If anyone can pull off this upset, it’s these Warriors.

The Warriors haven’t shown us anything through the first four games and the last two in particular that can make any reasonable person say “they’re going to win this series.” Their offense is disgusting and their defense is constantly scrambling. They don’t look like they belong on the same court as OKC. They look average, at best, trailing several steps behind the Thunder.

This is a moment we all prepared for. Even the most optimistic of Warriors fans felt that nagging feeling in the back of their mind, the one that constantly brought up all of the misfortune that the franchise has gone through. Suggesting that it’s only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.

This looks like it’s it. The MVP is probably hobbled. The All-Stars are ineffective, for the most part. The role players are erratic. The bigs are slow and can’t catch. The coach is throwing wild punches that are connecting with nothing but air.

And yet, there’s a sense that maybe, just maybe this team can do it. A few stops here and there lead to a few threes here and there and then the lead starts to build. Perhaps Curry gets a few of the calls Westbrook has gotten and he’s living at the line. Maybe Steven Adams returns to Earth and starts missing his free throws. Perhaps Andre Roberson remembers that he’s not supposed to be an offensive player. Maybe Dion Waiters returns to being chaos. Perhaps a win in Oracle Arena puts pressure on the Thunder who crack under it. Maybe.

Maybe the Warriors somehow regain that magic that had everyone asking if they could be the greatest team ever. Maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder stumble and remind everyone why no one considered them to be a real threat coming out of the West earlier in the year.

This team surprises you. No one really expected them to improve upon a 67 win championship season. And yet they did. No one expected Curry to win one MVP, let alone win a second in unanimous fashion. No one expected Green or Thompson to be what they are. No one expected Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut to be NBA champions after dealing with their injuries.

If anyone can pull off this upset, it’s these Warriors. It won’t be easy and it’s not likely. OKC is rolling right now while the Warriors are in a free-fall. But perhaps they can catch themselves in time. The Warriors have looked mediocre, at best, and yet, I’m not ready to give up on them.

I don’t know what exactly needs to change for the Warriors. But maybe they do. If this series has taught me anything, it’s that nothing makes any sense. So maybe the Warriors are ready to defy the odds once again.