The Thunder and the Warriors met in the 2016 WCF, where the Warriors won as the Thunder choked away a 3-1 advantage. That wasn’t very long ago, even if it seems like an eternity in basketball terms. I am pretty much the same person I was then, and I’m sure you are too.
Of all the players who played in that series, the only one who appeared in this game for the same team was Steven Adams. The Thunder have seen, in the intervening years, a total roster overhaul. The Warriors are a little better off, with Curry, Thompson, and Green still on the team, but they’re all in various states of injury. Sometimes I think roster turnover is a little out of control in the NBA. How is a fan supposed to have a true bond with a team when the team is nothing but a logo and a jersey due to the endless players flitting in and out? I’ll get down off my soap box now.
And get right back on to spread the Good News about Alec Burks still being a nice scorer. It was even longer ago than that Warriors-Thunder WCF that Burks was putting up nice numbers for the Jazz, so I don’t blame you for forgetting. The Jazz commentators dubbed him “Houdini” due to his penchant for hitting improbable shots, and let me tell you, I still see some of that in his game today. Maybe he’s not the sharpshooter that Klay Thompson is, but can Klay hit layups even half as ridiculous?