- [Clara] It's February 27th, 2016.
We're in Oklahoma city, where the Thunder
and the Golden State Warriors are tied at 118.
There's 3.4 seconds left in overtime.
It's a regular season game.
So what's the big deal?
Well, this is a defining game for OKC,
a team desperate to be seen as a real threat.
On the Warrior side, this game might just let us know
if they're human or if they're some sort of basketball
AI programed to win everything, always.
There's a lot going on.
Let's rewind.
This Warrior's lineup has been called the death lineup ever
since they took the championship last year.
And this season,
they've been Grim Reapering their way through the league.
They're currently 52 and five.
That's right!
It's late February and they've only lost five games.
That puts them on pace to beat the '96 Bull's record
for most wins in a season.
They already busted the '94 Rocket's record best start,
a feat the Warriors accomplished without their head coach.
For the first half of the season,
Steve Kerr was sidelined with health problems
stemming from back surgery.
Assistant Luke Walton had to step in,
and experience unprecedented success.
Walton stayed humble,
crediting the system Kerr put in place last year.
That system was a fast-paced small ball game
with an emphasis on cutting and ball movement.
Spacing the floor while creating good looks
for the Splash Brothers,
or whoever happened to be on at the time.
The Warriors have a deep bench, which Kerr relied on.
How valuable is a deep bench?
To answer that question,
look no further than the Warriors' first match
up with OKC this season, in the beginning of February.
The Thunder stars were excellent.
KD had 40 points,
but it wasn't enough because the Warrior bench outscored
the Thunder bench 42 to 17 on their way to a win.
To OKC's credit, they did make a game of it.
The score was tied with under four minutes to go.
Sure, in those remaining minutes the Warriors dominated,
and the Thunder folded in on themselves like a shy armadillo
but still, giving the Warriors a real challenge matters.
The best in the East Cavs couldn't do it.
Neither could the second best in the West Spurs.
Kerr was so starved for competition,
he said that OKC game was fun and it was about time
they had it close game.
So hold your heads high OKC, you almost beat-
No, no, you hate what I'm saying,
and you hate me for saying it.
Harsh, but fair.
Of that first matchup, Russell Westbrook said
that before the game he felt they could beat the Warriors,
and after the game he felt they could beat the Warriors.
Tonight's rematch is their chance to prove it.
This year is supposed to be big for OKC.
That's the whole reason they got this new coach over here.
Billy Donovan replaced Scott Brooks this summer,
Brooks had taken the Thunder to the finals in 2012,
but they haven't been back.
And last year with Kevin Durant injured
they didn't even make the playoffs.
Donovan was hired to get the Thunder
back into championship contention and fast.
Why the urgency? well, winning is fun,
who'd want to delay that?
And, perhaps more importantly,
KD is about to be a free agent.
He hasn't said he's going to leave,
and he seems to have a strong bond with his teammates.
But if he can't win a ring with OKC,
he might want to go somewhere he can win one.
Like a super team.
Interestingly enough,
the Thunder might've had a super team themselves,
if they hadn't traded away James Harden in 2012.
But they did, and we have to move on.
With Donovan at the helm,
and Durant back from injury this year,
there was reason to believe in the Thunder again.
Everybody was doing it.
As the season got underway,
Durant and Westbrook were an offensive force.
The Thunder are currently the second highest scoring team
in the league.
The best rebounding team in the league.
And they've only lost seven home games.
But, that's not enough.
Overall, they're 41 and 17, and at this point in the season
nobody really thinks they're going to win a championship.
Which Jeff Van Gundy pointed out during tonight's game.
- [Commentator] The talk all year
has been about three teams,
and rightfully so, Warriors, Spurs, Cavaliers.
- [Clara] Come on man, Thunder bench is right there.
Why aren't they titled threats?
Their defense.
They'd leave the perimeter open,
like it was a different era of basketball.
One where it was considered gauche
to take a wide open three, so nobody would.
But tonight it's been a different story.
The Thunder defense has held Klay Thompson
to a single made three in regulation.
They've been giving Draymond Green trouble,
he had zero points in the first half.
Sure. Fine. Yes, he's racking up assists and rebounds,
but there's evidence that his lack of scoring
is bothering him.
At halftime, he had an outburst so loud
reporters outside the locker room could hear it.
He yelled, "I am not a robot" at Steve Kerr.
Which, hey, who hasn't wanted to yell
after a bad day of work.
He also yelled,
"I know I can play. You have me messed up right now".
Honestly, I just admire his confidence.
He was heard telling people to "come sit me down".
So I guess he'd been standing during all this,
which... yeah, that's how I pictured it.
This was whole-body screaming.
And while causing your opponent to scream
with his whole body is impressive,
the Thunder's improved defense had a weakness.
It didn't work on Steph Curry.
He's hit 11 from beyond the arc
connecting even when he's well covered.
See.
- [Commentator] This is good defense by Stephen Adams.
There's nothing you can do.
- [Clara] Lucky for the Thunder,
Durant answered that shot with a
nothing-you-can-do three of his own.
Durant's has been answering all night.
So now he's,
on the bench?
No!
Kevin Durant was league MVP in 2014.
Then a broken foot ruined his, and OKC's, 2015 season.
But this year he's back, and I think that foot's all better.
He's had a very nice game tonight.
Whenever the Warriors got close, he brushed him back.
An example: as the third quarter wound down
Curry hit one of those threes he likes so much
giving Golden State a one point lead,
their first lead of the game.
Which lasted a mere 30 seconds,
because Durant responded with back-to-back threes
to close the quarter.
Maybe this OKC team should be on
Jeff Van Gundy's list after all.
Wait,
with 11.8 seconds left in the game
the Warriors cut the deficit to just two.
Death line up doesn't say die.
But okay, Thunder have the ball,
so as long as they don't,
oh, I don't know, totally panic, they should be all right.
Trapped in the corner,
Durant was expecting a foul that didn't come.
So he heaved the ball forward.
Klay tipped it, Dramond saved it.
Klay found Iguodala, and Durant put his arms straight up?
No, he fouled with seven tenths of a second left.
- [Commentator] No, a whistle and a foul.
A foul is called.
(cheering)
- [Clara] The not great free throw shooter
rose to the occasion, hit both, and then we add overtime.
One minute into overtime,
KD was like "bad things always come in threes, right?"
And picked up his sixth foul, so he's out.
But OKC has another all-star, Westbrook stepped up
and the Thunder managed to stay in this game, so far.
Steph Curry is bringing the ball up,
which Warrior fans are relieved to see.
Not just because he's currently the league's best shooter
and has 43 points tonight.
But because of a scary moment at the start of the third.
He left the court after he rolled his ankle,
and Westbrook accidentally landed on it.
Of course you don't want to see your star player go down,
but you especially don't want to see
Steph Curry go down with an ankle issue.
Curry's ankles had threatened to ruin his career,
basically before it started.
In 2011, his sophomore season, he missed eight games
because of ankle sprains.
In the lockout-shortened 2012 season,
he only played 26 games because of his ankles.
People said he had "glass ankles",
and when his rookie contract was up
it was considered risky for the Warriors to resign him.
Sure, he was great when he played,
but how much could he play?
Due to the risks,
the Warriors ended up saving some money on his contract.
And then surprise, he ends up healthy and so good
it's a little bit gross?
Plus, the Warriors could afford his other teammates.
Risk equals reward. Write that one down.
But then when he got hurt tonight,
you couldn't help but wonder,
had the spell worn off and turned his ankles back to glass?
Well, if it has, maybe glass ankles are better
than ones made of bones, and muscles, and tendons,
and blood and stuff
because Curry returned to this game and went off.
Within four minutes of checking in,
he hit 3 threes, two free throws,
and found Mo Speights for a layup.
In the fourth quarter he poured in two more
from beyond the arc.
In overtime, he wasn't afraid of contact
and drew that sixth foul on KD.
Plus he hit another pair of threes.
So yeah, Golden State wants him with the ball here.
In the next 3.4 seconds,
he can give the Warriors a win that would show the league,
they can be challenged, hurt, pissed at each other,
down most of the game,
but it don't matter.
Or the Thunder can make it matter.
Their new and improved defense has 3.4 seconds
to get a stop, another OT and a chance to win.
A win which would allow them to interrupt
and enter the title conversation
by screaming their own name in triumph.
It's time.
Welcome to a moment in history.
- [Commentator] They do have a time out,
decide not to use it,
Curry, way downtown.
Bang! Bang! Ah, what a shot from Curry!
The brilliant shooting of Stephan Curry continues.
- [Clara] Thanks for watching.
If you like this video,
these other ones might be right down your alley.
People tell me the expression is "up your alley,"
and I refuse to believe them.
Don't forget to subscribe and as always
for Secret Base, I'm Clara Morris.
Good night and good game.