In the Western conference semifinals, the Golden State Warriors pushed past the Portland Trail Blazers in a series that was a lot closer than the 4-1 finish would indicate, while the Oklahoma City Thunder took a massive leap forward with a convincing 4-2 series win over the San Antonio Spurs. Now, the two teams are set to square off in a Western Conference finals series overflowing with star power. Can Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant give the defending champs a run for their money?
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
Warriors win series 4-3
Game 1 — Thunder 108, Warriors 102
Game 2 — Warriors 118, Thunder 91
Game 3 — Thunder 133, Warriors 105
Game 4 — Thunder 118, Warriors 94
Game 5 — Warriors 120, Thunder 111
Game 6 — Warriors 108, Thunder 101
Game 7 — Warriors 96, Thunder 88
Season series — Warriors won 3-0
Golden State's starting lineup (2016 playoff stats) - Stephen Curry (24.8 ppg, 6.5 apg), Klay Thompson (27.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Harrison Barnes (9.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Draymond Green (17.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg), Andrew Bogut (5.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
Oklahoma City's starting lineup (2016 playoff stats) - Russell Westbrook (25.5 ppg, 10.8 apg), Andre Roberson (3.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Kevin Durant (27.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Serge Ibaka (11.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Steven Adams (10.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
Golden State wins if - Curry and Thompson continue their stellar play and key players can fend off the injury bug. Draymond Green's value to the team is no secret, so after a couple of tweaks to his ankle so far, five days off before the series begins could prove to be crucial.
Oklahoma City wins if - Westbrook and Durant play at an MVP-caliber level, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter win the battle down low, and they're able to close out games like they did against San Antonio. The Thunder are on a roll, and they're as hungry as ever after knocking off the 67-win Spurs. But they're facing an entirely different animal in Golden State.
Need to know (Golden State) - Thompson's already-elite three-point shooting has skyrocketed from 3.5 three-pointers made on 42.5% shooting in the regular season to 4.7 made on 47.5% shooting in the postseason.
Need to know (Oklahoma City) - Durant (27.4 ppg) is leading all postseason scorers, Westbrook (10.8) is leading in assists.
Sam Amick's pick - Warriors in seven
Jeff Zillgitt's pick - Warriors in six
