The first half of Game 7 between the Warriors and Thunder is in the books, and Oklahoma City held a 48-42 lead after 24 minutes. Both teams played in waves, absorbing runs from each other, but OKC has been dominating the boards and Draymond Green is shooting (and missing) threes, so the Thunder have the edge. But enough of about that, let’s talk about Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry.
In the final ten seconds of the half, we got a great look at what makes them so good and so different. Coming off a Serge Ibaka block on Curry, Dion Waiters raced down the court and wildly changed course as he left his feet near the rim, dropping the ball of for Westbrook for a shot with an extremely high degree of difficulty, if it was even makeable. the pass was high and behind him but Russ, true to form, caught it and actually sped up and just went has hard as he could at the rim, hoping to figure something out along the way. Somehow he snuck the ball around the rim from underneath with his left hand and got the roll for a bucket.
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He drew a foul and hit his free throw, and then it was Steph’s turn. With 5.4 seconds left in the half, Steph raced the length of the court and put up a characteristically preposterous floater that kissed in off the very top of the glass. It dropped right down the cylinder and through the net just before time elapsed.
It’s a tiny difference, but it’s one that explains what makes both players so great. Curry hits shots you can’t even imagine, and Westbrook hits shots you think are impossible.
[TNT]
