Setting aside a few baffling plays, McGee was simply a better player and contributed more to the team than either Pachulia or Looney.
The Warriors' first possession.
Curry and Green took care of it.
It was a classic give-and-go, with Curry's enormous pull on the defense creating an easy finish for Green on the roll.
Over on the Thunder's side, though, they seemed unable to find their rhythm once the game began.
Westbrook brought the ball up, then drove and kicked it out. But his inside pass to Gordon went wrong.
The ball slipped out of Gordon's hands and flew out of bounds along the baseline.
So possession went right back to the Warriors.
Curry ran another Pick-and-Roll with Green, drew a double-team, and passed back to Green.
Then Green knocked down the open three, too.
This was definitely not what the Thunder wanted to see, but there was nothing they could do about it now.
The Thunder attacked again.
Westbrook ran a Pick-and-Roll with Chen Xi, used the screen to drive into the paint, then pulled up for a mid-range jumper. He rose over McGee's long arms, and the ball banked in.
Turtle Turtle steadied things with his signature zombie jumper.
But only for a little while.
The Thunder struggled badly on the possessions that followed.
Maybe they were too relaxed, or maybe they simply couldn't find their touch. Whatever the reason, something was clearly off with the Thunder.
Chen even wondered if the Warriors had tampered with the hoops or the floor at home!
They couldn't hit anything! And they kept turning the ball over!
At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder trailed 31–23, down by eight.
Westbrook was two for six, Chen Xi was three for six, and Butler was one for four.
The three