The Golden State Warriors will be visiting Oklahoma Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first time this season. Kevin Durant will be making a long-awaited return to his previous franchise as a Golden State Warrior.
Where to watch: ABC
Tip-Off time: 8:30 PM, Saturday, February 11th
The Warriors and the Thunder do not have the warmest of feelings for one another. This was the case before Kevin Durant’s arrival to the Warriors, and the rivalry has gotten stronger coming into this season. Most of that could be due to the controversial decision made by the former 2011 MVP during the off-season, however, there are other factors that have turned two teams like the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder into a sizzling pair of rivals.
This game will be a physical, entertaining, and star-studded contest that will be oozing of playoff intensity. Russell Westbrook played against his former co-star, Kevin Durant with little success in their first meeting. The Thunder would go on to lose that game 121 to 98 behind a monster game from Kevin Durant. The Warriors were literally force-feeding the 6 foot 9 dynamo on the way to a rout victory at Oracle Arena. Tonight, Russell Westbrook will have a chance at redemption. T
hings should also be more interesting because the Thunder at large has shown more strides as a team. They were outstanding in a home win over the defending champions and there is no reason to believe that they won’t carry over some of that momentum. These two teams are the gift that keeps on giving in a Western Conference that seems decided from about every fan’s point of view.
The world will be looking at this rematch on primetime television. Anytime you put stars on primetime something will happen. What will happen tonight is up to these two teams and the basketball gods.
The Golden State Warriors will be tested in a REALLY hostile environment
The Warriors have been the closest thing to a juggernaut this season. They have beaten elite teams and they have beaten teams that had no chance from the start. However, the Warriors have also managed to lose to teams with strong interior presence, physical defense, and grit.
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These are things that a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder is built around. Russell Westbrook will also be a challenge, but Russ is gonna Russ no matter what.
The thing that really makes this match-up interesting is the reception that the rabid fanbase of OKC will bring. It is hard to win in the Thunder’s building because of the energy that they play with there. Just ask Lebron James how crazy that contest turned out to become.
Kevin Durant had a monster game against OKC in Oakland. What we really want to watch for is how much intensity can Kevin Durant handle when coming back home.
The mental and emotional aspects of KD will ultimately affect how well he plays here. The rest of the Warriors’ players will definitely be a big deal as well. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will be fine. This game and the circumstance calls for Kevin Durant to take it over. On paper this is evident. With the stakes a little bit higher than last time the outcome is much more awaited.
Starting Five for the Golden State Warriors
- Point Guard- Stephen Curry
- Shooting Guard- Klay Thompson
- Small Forward- Kevin Durant
- Power Forward- Draymond Green
- Center- Javale McGee
The Warriors are essentially a good road team when their defense shows up to play. They average 114.6 points per game on the road and they shoot a respectable 35.8 percent from three as a team. Oklahoma City will look to dominate the paint. The Dubs will need guys like Kevon Looney, Javale McGee, and James Michael McAdoo to really play tough and help keep the Thunder’s physical bigs off of the glass in the scenario that foul trouble comes up. The Warriors are still without two of their big men and that has really stretched the rotation.