Oakland, Calif. -- In two quarters, the Golden State Warriors went from up 14 on the Oklahoma City Thunder to their season being under threat. That’s how long it took the Warriors to go from heavy series favorites to, according to Nate Silver’s projection model at FiveThirtyEight, a 44 percent chance of advancing from the Western Conference finals.
After the game, steady veteran point guard Shaun Livingston reminded attending media, "It’s not supposed to be easy." It seems a 73-win season does not inoculate a team from the doubt-filled playoff crucible. It only guarantees the home-court advantage, which Russell Westbrook and the Thunder quickly wrenched away in those two quarters.