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STEPHEN Curry eventually drove a stake through the heart of Oklahoma’s hopes of closing the NBA’s Western Conference Final in Oakland today.

Two late drives to the hoop ensured his Golden State Warriors would live to fight another day – Sunday in Oklahoma in Game 6, to be precise – after fighting back to 2-3 with their 120-111 win.

Curry had 31 points and six assists to seal Game 5 and avoid elimination but the win wasn’t anywhere near as convincing as it needed to be to shake the resolve of this focused Thunder team.

While Andrew Bogut was the first to respond to criticism from coach Steve Kerr for foul woes which have plagued him and then, in turn, hampered his team, GSW did not look to have Oklahoma on the ropes until the last quarter.

And even then, only briefly.

That was when the unlikely quintet of Leandro Barbosa, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights combined to pull the Warriors 13 points clear and, ever so briefly, they resembled the team which set an NBA record 73-9 regular season.

In truth though, OKC was having none of it and dragged the deficit back to five, with chances to get closer.

The Thunder simply are not the least bit intimidated by Golden State, after pummelling them by 52 points in Games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma.

Kevin Durant still scored 40 points and Russell Westbrook produced another amazing stat line with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals.

The Thunder are trying for their fifth NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and chasing just the second championship after the 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics won it all.

Unlike the team beaten by Miami in the Finals a few years ago, the OKC middle no longer is anchored by lumbering and limited Kendrick Perkins but by athletic Kiwi 7-footer Steven Adams, with Enes Kanter backing him up.

And instead of the "great disappearing act" off the bench which was James Harden, Dion Waiters and Kanter can play. Serge Ibaka’s game also has considerably grown.

The worrying sign for GSW fans is the fact Bogut had a career-best playoff performance with 15 points at 78 percent, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, two steals and only three fouls.

Draymond Green, who has been more the Nutcracker than the Prince of late, had an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double, Klay Thompson scored 27 points and Curry finished the game brilliantly.

(With his 1,248th career postseason point in the third, Curry passed Wilt Chamberlain (1,246) for second place on the franchise’s playoff scoring list.)

And yet despite all that, Oklahoma was right there, all the way.

A CURRY ON: Steph Curry was great but OKC does not look worried. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

Now the challenge for Golden State is to somehow break the belief of this Oklahoma crew and prove that yes, it can come all the way back from 1-3 and therefore yes, it can belong in a conversation about those Chicago Bulls teams of the MJ days.

It is trying to become just the 10th team to rally from a 1-3 deficit.

“We’re not going home! We’re not going home!” Curry yelled at the top of his lungs in the dying moments.

After Game 6, he will be hoping to be yelling just the opposite.

NBA PLAYOFFS
WESTERN CONFERENCE
FINAL:
G1: Golden State 102, Oklahoma 108
G2: Golden State 118, Oklahoma 91
G3: Golden State 105, Oklahoma 133
G4: Golden State 94, Oklahoma 118
G5: Golden State 120, Oklahoma 111
Oklahoma leads 3-2

SEMI FINALS:
G1: San Antonio 124, Oklahoma 92
G2: San Antonio 97, Oklahoma 98
G3: San Antonio 100, Oklahoma 96
G4: San Antonio 97, Oklahoma 111
G5: San Antonio 91, Oklahoma 95
G6: San Antonio 99, Oklahoma 113
Oklahoma advances 4-2

G1: Golden State 118, Portland 106
G2: Golden State 110, Portland 99
G3: Golden State 108, Portland 120
G4: Golden State 132, Portland 125 in o/t
G5: Golden State 125, Portland 121
Golden State advances 4-1

FIRST ROUND:
G1: Golden State 104, Houston 78
G2: Golden State 115, Houston 106
G3: Golden State 96, Houston 97
G4: Golden State 121, Houston 94
G5: Golden State 114, Houston 81
Golden State advances 4-1

G1: Oklahoma 108, Dallas 70
G2: Oklahoma 84, Dallas 85
G3: Oklahoma 131, Dallas 102
G4: Oklahoma 119, Dallas 108
G5: Oklahoma 118, Dallas 104
Oklahoma advances 4-1

G1: San Antonio 106, Memphis 74
G2: San Antonio 94, Memphis 68
G3: San Antonio 96, Memphis 87
G4: San Antonio 116, Memphis 95
San Antonio advances 4-0

G1: Los Angeles 115, Portland 95
G2: Los Angeles 102, Portland 81
G3: Los Angeles 88, Portland 96
G4: Los Angeles 84, Portland 98
G5: Los Angeles 98, Portland 108
G6: Los Angeles 103, Portland 106
Portland advances 4-2

EASTERN CONFERENCE
FINAL:
G1: Cleveland 115, Toronto 84
G2: Cleveland 108, Toronto 89
G3: Cleveland 84, Toronto 99
G4: Cleveland 99, Toronto 105
G5: Cleveland 116, Toronto 78
Cleveland leads 3-2

SEMI FINAL:
G1: Cleveland 104, Atlanta 93
G2: Cleveland 123, Atlanta 98
G3: Cleveland 121, Atlanta 108
G4: Cleveland 100, Atlanta 99
Cleveland advances 4-0

G1: Miami 102, Toronto 96 in o/t
G2: Miami 92, Toronto 96 in o/t
G3: Miami 91, Toronto 95
G4: Miami 94, Toronto 87 in o/t
G5: Miami 91, Toronto 99
G6: Miami 103, Toronto 91
G7: Miami 89, Toronto 116
Toronto advances 4-3

FIRST ROUND:
G1: Indiana 100, Toronto 90
G2: Indiana 87, Toronto 98
G3: Indiana 85, Toronto 101
G4: Indiana 100, Toronto 83
G5: Indiana 99, Toronto 102
G6: Indiana 101, Toronto 83
G7: Indiana 84, Toronto 89
Toronto advances 4-3

G1: Atlanta 102, Boston 101
G2: Atlanta 89, Boston 72
G3: Atlanta 103, Boston 111
G4: Atlanta 95, Boston 104
G5: Atlanta 110, Boston 84
G6: Atlanta 104, Boston 92
Atlanta advances 4-2

G1: Cleveland 106, Detroit 101
G2: Cleveland 107, Detroit 90
G3: Cleveland 101, Detroit 91
G4: Cleveland 100, Detroit 98
Cleveland advances, 4-0

G1: Miami 123, Charlotte 91
G2: Miami 115, Charlotte 103
G3: Miami 80, Charlotte 96
G4: Miami 85, Charlotte 89
G5: Miami 88, Charlotte 90
G6: Miami 97, Charlotte 90
G7: Miami 106, Charlotte 73
Miami advances 4-3