The Warriors & Thunder rivalry intensifies
After the Thunder's 112-80 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday you could tell there is some bad blood between the players on each team. The Thunder came into Saturday's game after winning the previous two meetings against the Warriors. The Warriors came out on top this time, sending a message to their rivals; letting them know that they are the reigning defending champions and weren't going to be toyed with. The game was close for the first three quarters but was very chippy and physical throughout it.
With 2:08 left in the second quarter Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant both picked up technical fouls after the two got tangled up which resulted in the two shoving one another and having to be separated by teammates and referees. This was followed up in the third quarter when Draymond Green fouled Anthony hard as he drove to the basket. Anthony wasn't pleased with the foul as he threw his headband down in frustration. The two had some words for one another, and they too had to be restrained.
Also, in the third quarter Zaza Pachulia blatantly fell on top of Russell Westbrook. As Westbrook drove to the basket, his shot was contested by Nick Young and the two fell on the baseline. Pachulia was in the area to grab the rebound but somehow fell on top of Westbrook legs. No one touched Pachulia to cause him to fall on top of the Thunder'sMost Valuable Player. Westbrook grabbed his leg in pain and shook his head in disbelief. Pachulia is known to be a dirty player to cause injury to his opponent. In game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, Pachulia purposely undercut Spurs Forward Kawhi Leonard on a jump-shot, causing Kawhi to land on Pachulia's foot causing an ankle injury. Leonard would be kept out the remainder of the playoffs.
The Warriors defense was on notice on Saturday as the team held the Thunder to shoot 33% from the field for the entire game. Paul George who is averaging 22 P.P.G. was held to just 5 points on 1-14 shooting. Since Durant's departure from the Thunder to the Warriors, games between the two teams have been testy with blowout scores. The Thunder won games 1 & 2 of the season series 108-91, & 125-105. Game 2 saw 5 technical fouls just on the Warriors side.
The Thunder and Warriors will meet one final time on April 3rd in Oklahoma City, a nationally televised game on TNT. Get your popcorn ready folks, because you can expect a sensational game with a boisterous crowd. Things will definitely be intense between the two teams.