OKC Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors in Game 5: Westbrook 'X' Factor; 'Dark Horse' Team of 2016 NBA Playoffs Looks to Close Series Tonight - Free Live Streaming
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder team have revived the 'Dark Horse' plot-line with their remarkable team-play, toughness and resilience. Now up 3 to 1 against the Golden State Warriors, the Thunder will try eliminating a team that has seen a record-breaking season (73-9) and a stellar regular-season performance by Stephen Curry. Both teams face-off tonight (May 26, 2016) at Oracle Arena in Oakland for Game 5. Tip-off starts at 9:00 p.m. ET or 6:00 PT
Fairy-Tale Season Coming to an End?
The fairy-tale season for Curry who broke the NBA-record for most three-pointers during the regular season (402 three's to be exact) and is aiming to give Oakland its first back-to-back title ever can be ruined by Oklahoma City who have been exhibiting a level of play rarely seen during the regular season.
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Even after beating the Mavericks 4 to 1 in the first round and stunning the NBA community by figuring out the mighty Spurs (who by the way finished 2nd in the Western Conference) in the second round (4 to 2), many weren't expecting the Thunder to fare as good as they have against Golden State.
The Thunder are now only one win away from returning to the NBA finals and comparing them to a 'Dark Horse' may not be the most fitting description. After witnessing the title-hungry drive they've showcased on the court perhaps we should call them 'Roaring Lion' or perhaps 'Roaring Thunder' just to keep things aligned to the brand.
What Warriors Need to Improve On
Golden State has a difficult uphill climb against the Thunder at this point although they play at home court tonight for Game 5. If the team wants to put things in its rightful place and return to its winning ways, then the Warriors will have to improve their performance in various fronts especially the rebound front.
OKC out-rebounded Golden State by approximately 10+ rebounds in the previous games. Stephen Curry will also have to step up in the shooting department. He went 6-20 in Game 4, 7-17 in Game 3 and 9-22 in Game 1. In Game 2, Warriors only win so far, Curry was 9-15 for shooting - over 50%. More important than that however, The Warriors will also have to stop Russell Westbrook who has been the "X" factor for OKC's wins during the series and has been the Thunder's driving force to play faster, smarter and stronger than the Warriors.
If the Thunders manage to pull of a win tonight, the team will have returned to the NBA Finals since their last NBA Finals appearance in 2013 against the Miami Heat. Although they lost against James, Wade and Bosh and the heat at that time, if Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant keep their same level of play as they are exhibiting now it'll be very hard to see them not lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy this time around.
TNT Overtime - Free Live Streaming
The game will be broadcast by TNT Overtime and the free live online stream can be seen at this link.
