Klay Thompson (USA)
30/05/2016
George Eddy's International Show
to read

'Heart of a champion' mentality brings Warriors back from brink

PARIS (George Eddy's International Show) - "Never underestimate the heart of a champion" was Rudy Tomjanovich's famous quote after his Houston Rockets came back from the dead to win a second NBA title in a row in 1995.

The defending champs from Golden State were as close to dead as anyone after being dominated in Games 3 and 4 of their Western Conference Finals showdown against Oklahoma City, results that left them trailing 3-1 in the series.

Only nine of the 276 (3.8 percent) teams in that situation in NBA history have come back to win a play-off series. The Warriors were in dire straits and they knew it, which was a surprising turn of events for a team that's been a mega-favorite all season long to repeat as champions while they were breaking all sorts of records.

So what the heck happened? In Game 5 at home, the Warriors got their "mojo" back, adjusting beautifully on the fly to all the great things the Thunder did to them in OKC. Steve Kerr told his team to stop rushing things on offense, limit the "too quick" shots that the tough Thunder defense was pressuring them to take.

His staff figured out that the team needed to re-discover a healthy balance between outside and inside play which produced a career play-off high for key cog, Australia's Andrew Bogut, with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

When you add the 14 unexpected points in only 9 minutes from back-up center Mareese Speights as well as Draymond Green finally settling down and having a good all-around performance that was severely lacking in Games 3 and 4, the Warriors had their balance.

Green is the new Rasheed Wallace, or Dennis Rodman. His complete game and energy are keys to Golden State's success but his big mouth, dangerously flailing legs and borderline behavior are also a constant danger for his team.

He can't control himself and there is a serious risk that one too many technical or flagrant fouls will soon cost his team dearly. Frankly, he's lucky not to have missed a game already!

Of course, if Klay Thompson had not hit a record 11 play-off 3-pointers in an incredible Game 6 in Oklahoma City, the Warriors would already be dead. On this memorable evening, Klay even outshined the two-time MVP, his "Splash Brother" Stephen Curry, with his consent! Curry told Thompson before the fourth quarter, "go ahead and put on a show".

The two champs who wouldn't let go (after the Game 5 win Curry screamed to the home fans "we ain't going home") scored a combined 72 points in Game 6 and produced their best defensive effort. This helped a heroic Andre Iguodala lower the shooting percentages of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (35% and 1/13 from 3pt range combined) on the other end of the floor.

As Billy Donovan said, "It's hard to beat an opponent who makes 21 three-point shots compared to our three". He could have added that the Thunder's fourth quarter demons reared up their ugly heads at the worst time in these NBA play-offs.

OKC led and seemed in control most of the way but they fell apart in the last five minutes due to excessive playing time and fatigue for their two superstars, which caused some bad shot selection.

Now the tables have turned and Golden State goes from less than a 4% chance to qualify to over 80% because we know that 8 out of 10 times a Game 7 is won by the home team. Hey, turnabout is fair play!

OKC's slim chances depend on its role players like Dion Waiters and Andre Roberson waking up and playing like they did in Games 3 and 4 as well as the duo Durant-Westbrook using more intelligently their teammates in the starting five who combined for 50% shooting in Game 6 but who didn't get the ball enough.

This is the ultimate win or go home game for everybody involved, "the toughest game of our lives" according to Green but in the back of my mind I keep hearing, "never underestimate the heart of a champion"...

George Eddy

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George Eddy

George Eddy

George Eddy, a former pro player and coach in France, has been covering basketball for Canal Plus TV since 1985. He is probably the only commentator in the world to have announced so many Olympics, NBA games, FIBA events and even Super Bowls over the last 29 years. The International Show will bring you his perspective on the NBA and its ever-growing international contingent.