It’s been exactly four years since the greatest play – and the greatest shot – in Golden State Warriors franchise history.
You know what I’m talking about. You know exactly what I’m talking about.
You’ve rewatched it dozens, if not hundreds of times. You remember where you were when it happened.
And still. It’s like watching it for the first time, every time.
That’s the shot that’s remembered, and for good reason. It’s the best shot in franchise history; the best shot in Steph Curry’s career; and one of the best regular season shots in NBA history.
But the game was so, so much more than that. And when you revisit it, you remember just how captivating the entire contest was.
It featured the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder, who entered the game at 41-17, against the nearly unbeatable 52-5 Warriors. The last three MVP trophies were all represented, and there were five players who had competed in the All-Star Game just 13 days prior.
And when the action began, it didn’t disappoint. If you have 20 minutes today, I recommend watching this condensed video of the game:
The final minutes of the game were as intense of basketball as you’ll witness. Here are the highlights, just in the final minutes:
- With less than five minutes remaining, a Thunder three gives OKC an eleven-point lead.
- Down seven with less than three minutes left, Curry hits an utterly insane three.
- Down five with less than two minutes left, Curry hits another, equally insane three.
- Down four with under 45 seconds to go, Russell Westbrook tosses an alley-oop to Kevin Durant, who can’t finish. The Warriors turn it into a transition opportunity, and Curry finds Klay Thompson for a corner three.
- Durant answers with a three to give the Thunder a four-point lead with 14.5 seconds left.
- Klay Thompson gets a layup off a timeout to make it a two-point game
- After Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala trap Durant on the ensuing inbound, Durant is forced to make a half-court pass, which Thompson breaks up, and Draymond Green saves from going out of bound. That leads to Iguodala getting the ball on the wing with the clock about to expire. A pump fake gets his defender in the air, he draws the foul, and calmly makes both free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to send it to overtime.
- Thunder jump out to a quick five-point lead in overtime, but Durant fouls out.
- Curry hits yet another insane three halfway through OT to tie the game.
- Down four with less than a minute and a half remaining, Curry misses a shot, but Green gets an offensive rebound, and finds Thompson for a three.
- Down three with just under 30 seconds left, the Warriors go for a two-for-one, and Green finds Thompson with a backdoor cut. He’s fouled, and completes the three-point play to tie the game.
- And then, of course, the play that created my favorite video in the history of YouTube: Curry’s game-winning three, first with the audio from the ESPN broadcast, then the broadcasts in French, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Italian, and Mandarin.
It’s perfect.
Curry finished the game with 46 points on 12-16 shooting from deep. Thompson had 32, while Green had the most hilariously excellent Green statline: 2 points, 14 rebounds, 14 assists, 6 steals, and 4 blocks. Durant and Westbrook combined for 63.
It’s hard to believe it was four years ago. It kind of feels like yesterday, but with everything that happened since then – the perfect season ending in heartbreak, Durant joining the Warriors, Durant leaving the Warriors, titles, losses, severe injuries, resetting – it also feels like a lifetime ago.
So watch the highlights and reminisce. Because you won’t see another game like that any time soon.