The Western Conference finals are set to tipoff when the Thunder and Warriors take the court at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. for Game 1 as part of the 2016 NBA playoffs.
Golden State is in Round 3 for the second straight season after winning its first NBA title in 40 years last spring. Oklahoma City is in the conference finals for the second time in the last three years and fourth time in six years.
The Thunder is looking to advance to the finals for the first time since 2012, when they lost to the Heat in five games.
The Warriors overcame the Rockets and Trail Blazers each in five games to get this far, while the Thunder defeated the Mavericks in five games in Round 1 and followed it up by taking out the Spurs in six games in Round 2, in what was a surprise to many.
Golden State took all three regular season meetings from Oklahoma City in 2015-16, including reigning MVP Stephen Curry's near half-court shot that won a game for the Warriors back in February.
Still, Curry, who earned the MVP for the second year in a row and was the first unanimous winner, isn't expecting a cakewalk despite three of his teams NBA-record 73 victories coming against the Thunder.
"They're an explosive team. They're clicking right now and found a good recipe to beat a tough Spurs team," said Curry, according to ESPN. "That says a lot about how they're playing right now."
Curry averaged 30.9 points in the regular season while draining a record 402 3-pointers. The Warriors go up against the 1-2 punch of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who are ready for the challenge Golden State brings and remember his game-winning dagger very well.
"It was a deep shot, and it was a huge shot -- it was something I've never seen," said Durant, who led the team with 28.2 points per game in the regular season, via ESPN. "But it wasn't like it was a shot that went across the whole world."
Game Live Stream & Details
Matchup: Thunder at Warriors Western Conference Finals Game 1
Time: 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT)
Venue: Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.
Radio: Oklahoma City (WWLS 98.1); Golden State (KNBR 680).
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds for this game can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.