Such an important matchup, such a star-studded spectacle.
The game was bound to be fiercely contested.
It was a heated battle from the very start.
In the first quarter, both sides threw out one strategy after another, constantly adjusting their approach in an attempt to exploit the other team's weaknesses.
Donovan and Kerr took turns calling timeouts and making adjustments.
But none of them worked particularly well.
Thanks to Chen Xi's decent shooting touch, the Thunder led the Warriors 31–29 after the first quarter.
Then came the battle of the bench lineups during the transition period of the second quarter.
Kerr was surprised to find that the incredibly strong bench lineup he'd relied on to survive was now struggling to keep up with the Thunder.
Fortunately, though, Durant exploded in the second quarter.
KD made six of nine shots and all three of his three-pointers in the quarter, scoring 15 points and helping the Warriors take the lead.
At halftime, the Warriors had come back to lead the Thunder 64–61.
Then, in the Third Quarter, both teams put their starters back on the court.
Surprisingly, among the starters on the floor, only Chen Xi and Klay had their shots falling.
So the Third Quarter turned into another duel between two three-point kings.
The difference was that Chen Xi preferred to isolate defenders and call for mismatches.
Aside from Klay, Green, and Durant, he was confident he could take on the other Warriors one-on-one. Iguodala might give him a bit of trouble, but he could handle him, too.
Klay, meanwhile, kept moving without the ball and running set plays to find chances to catch and shoot from the perimeter.
It was a showdown between two shooting guards with completely different styles.
In the end, neither side managed to pull ahead.
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