With the Thunder losing to the Warriors on Saturday, setting the stage for Game 7, one could point to several reasons Oklahoma City came out on the wrong end of the final score. When watching the game, Stephen Jackson noticed a lack of effort from a Thunder star.
Kevin Durant was criticized by some for the nineteen shots he took during the first half. However, it was what happened after a fourth quarter turnover by Durant that caught Jackson’s attention. The former NBA player ripped Durant for not closing out on Stephen Curry shooting a three-pointer, saying Durant didn’t even try. Jackson went on to emphasize that Oklahoma City isn’t going to beat the Warriors or anyone in the Western Conference Finals by “half-assing like that.”
Given Oklahoma City at one point had a 3-1 series over Golden State and are now staring at Game 7 in Oracle, there has been no shortage of people picking apart the last two games to see what the Thunder need to correct. In this particular instance, it’s tough to find fault with Jackson’s analysis on the play in question. The good thing for Oklahoma City is they have one last opportunity to close out Golden State and it will likely take maximum effort to do so.
