NBA Playoffs: Warriors mount furious comeback to keep their season alive

Longing, rusted, furnace, daybreak, seventeen, benign, nine, homecoming, one, freight car. And just like that, Andre Iguodala is activated and ready for the next mission.

There’s no need for him in the regular season. Sure, he’s a great sixth man and his skills are often apparent, but the general insignificance of most of the 82 games in a regular season makes it hard to isolate and appreciate his impact. He’s a good player and an even better defender, but above all, he’s a weapon to unleash only in the most critical moments. For it is in those isolated snapshots, when narratives are forming and dying at high speeds, that Iguodala makes his greatest mark.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

COLD WORLD: The Thunder led the Warriors most of the game, despite some serious Antics by Klay Thompson, who hit 11 threes in the game. Steven Adams even put Draymond Green on a beautiful poster early in the game. It felt like OKC’s moment. But in the final minutes, the Thunder got real sloppy with the ball -- thanks in part to the Warriors’ aggressive defense -- and Stephen Curry hit some backbreaking shots (that bank shot!). The result? A 108-101 Golden State win and a Game 7 on Monday. Can OKC even dream of fighting back and winning on Monday? Is it even possible in this world?

Klay Thompson didn’t wait much to reveal his secret to success after hitting a playoff-record 11 three-pointers. It’s not in the shoes; it’s in the socks.

After the game, he showed off his socks — his lucky Yoda socks — to reporters. We knew he was a hardcore Harry Potter fan, but his Star Wars fandom is new. The Force definitely helped him and the Warriors win.

The Warriors are still in it! And Golden State fans have Klay Thompson to thank. He carried the team with his three-point shooting. Golden State management can thank him too.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob actually did that. He was in awe over Klay’s performance that he bowed down in respect as Thompson went back into the locker room. That’s how you know ownership appreciates you.

Yet, at the end of the half, the lead had been cut down to just four points. Three-pointers kept the Warriors in it, as they went 9-of-21 from beyond the arc in the first two quarter, while Oklahoma City connected on just two of their 14 attempts. Klay Thompson broke free and made most of the damage, going 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line while Stephen Curry, who went scoreless in the first quarter, hit 2-of-3.

Golden State was bound to start playing better. Early in the third quarter Thompson hit back to back three-pointers and it seemed a huge run was coming. Instead of panicking, however, the Thunder continued to play hard and ride Westbrook and Durant on offense, like they had all series long. Later on, Curry would be the one catching fire, going off for 14 points in the frame, but they weathered that storm, too. Their mettle was rewarded when, after some untimely Warrior turnovers, they actually managed to extend their lead to eight points going into the final period.

Though the Warriors were down against the Thunder in Game 6, they were always within reach of the lead. That’s mostly due to Klay Thompson and his stellar shooting, breaking a playoff three-point record in the process.

And once the Warriors had the lead with only seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors just needed one more shot to secure the lead and win the game. They didn’t go to Klay, however. They went to Stephen Curry who delivered a beauty of a bank shot.

Russell Westbrook, known off the court for his attire, made a very cool change to his on-court gear during halftime of Game 6 versus the Golden State Warriors.

Very cool sneakers, but I don’t think I can pull them off, much like everything else Russ wears.

Despite the high-intensity series, there has been one constant: Steven Adams is one chill dude. Even after getting kicked by Draymond Green, he didn’t react much.

Game 6 is no different. While some players succumb to the pressure of closing out a series, Adams doesn’t. In fact, he took advantage of the situation and dunked on Green. Consider that payback.

Golden State is a 2.5-point road underdog for Game 6 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This will be just the fifth time all season that Golden State has been the betting underdog, with the Warriors going 3-1 SU and ATS in the previous four instances.

The Warriors were on the wrong end of two straight blowout losses in Oklahoma City, but they bounced back nicely with a 120-111 win and cover at home as a 7-point favorite in Game 5.

Game 6 should be wild. There’s two teams, each considering the game a must win, each really meaning that when they say it. If Oklahoma City can pull this off, it’s one of the greatest playoff runs ever, conquering a 67- and 73-win team within weeks. But it’s never a good thing to count the Warriors out.

Place: Chesapeake Energy Arena

On one hand, the Golden State Warriors did exactly what they needed to do on Thursday night in Oakland: they survived. The Warriors held the lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder for all but a brief moment and pushed the series back to OKC for a Game 6. When you’re facing elimination, that’s enough. Draymond Green defended well with a few spectacular blocks, Stephen Curry did some Stephen Curry things and the Warriors bench provided a huge boost.

That said, all of that contributed to a win in which OKC was one missed open Kevin Durant three from being in a one-possession game with under a minute left. (That’s a long way of saying the Thunder were down six with an open look to cut it to three, but it’s valid.) Moreover, Golden State had to work just to survive -- at no point during the game did the Warriors look prepared to do what they did to the Thunder in Game 2, or what they did to most teams during the regular season. Nothing looks easy for the Warriors against this OKC team.