Russ, you thoughts on whether Steph is an underrated defender? https://t.co/YLHpDBHNzi
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 27, 2016
Last night the Golden State Warriors did what they needed to do down the stretch to force a Game 6 in Oklahoma City Saturday night. Stephen Curry woke up, Andre Iguodala made the clutch plays he’s been making his whole career, and it was enough to hold off a resilient Thunder team that seemed poised to pull off a miraculous comeback in the game’s final seconds.
All series long, Stephen Curry’s defense on Russell Westbrook has been criticized. Westbrook has torched the two-time reigning MVP, and through the first 5 games of the series has bested Curry in nearly every offensive category. (3-point field goal percentage is the only exception, and he trails Curry by just one percentage point. Imagine that.) However, when it counted late in last night’s game, Curry showed up on the defensive end, and helped stifle the Thunder offense in the 4th quarter.
Naturally, reporters had questions about Curry’s defense for the Thunder stars after the game last night. Kevin Durant was asked whether or not he finds Curry to be an “underrated defender,” and Westbrook, who was seated beside Durant, covered his face with his hands and began laughing, as if the question being posed to KD was absolutely ludicrous in nature.
Unfortunately for Russ and KD, the only person truly laughing last night was Curry. He and his Warriors are very much back in the series, and if they can find a way to swipe Game 6 on the Thunder’s home court, there’s going to be a colossal Game 7 showdown in Oaktown.
