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IF there’s something you can be sure of, the Golden State Warriors abundantly are aware of their legacy and also where they want to sit in the NBA pantheon.

Winning the 2014-15 championship was one thing, compiling an NBA record 73-9 regular season another.

But the “hat-trick” the Warriors are pursuing is back-to-back championships and the chance to be included in the conversations about the league’s all-time greatest teams and dynasties.

That doesn’t happen if you bow out in the Western Conference Final and there was a very real chance of that happening when they fell behind 1-3 to those plucky Okies.

GSW didn’t look all that convincing winning Game 5 at home to force today’s Game 6, Oklahoma City far from intimidated by anything that had gone before in an 82-game regular season which now seems – but for homecourt advantage for Game 7 – mostly irrelevant.

But today in Oklahoma, it was the Warriors who refused to go away. They hung around and hung around, despite the best efforts of a vocal and raucous crowd to get OKC over the line.

Whenever GSW spluttered, Klay Thompson was there, his 41-point haul including an NBA playoff record 11 triples and a 19-point third quarter barrage.

HANDS OF KLAY: Klay Thompson heads to a GSW huddle. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

Trailing 99-101, the Warriors peeled off a 9-0 run the close out the game, Andre Iguodala tying it with a layup at 2:06, then Thompson with his 11th 3-pointer, giving them the lead 104-101 at 1:35.

Thompson's fellow "Splash Brother" Steph Curry pushed the lead out to five with a drive as the series momentum swung back to the champs.

Golden State's 33-18 final quarter was one for the ages, Thompson's playoff career-best 41 points including 11-of-18 triples. 

Curry finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and a couple of steals, Draymond Green - booed at every opportunity after his groin-kick of OKC centre Steven Adams in Game 3 - with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Andrew Bogut played 27 minutes and again was a big keyway presence for the Warriors.

Kevin Durant led OKC with 29 points but it was on 10-of-31 shooting, Russell Westbrook with 28 points on 10-of-27.

Westbrook had 11 assists and one turnover in the first three quarters but no assists and four turnovers in the fourth. His final line was 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

“To be in this situation - people were doubting us,” Green said.

“It (Game 7) will be the hardest game of our lives. It will be way harder than this game. Going back home, everybody will think: ‘Oh, it’s done.’ It will be way harder. But if we come out and do what we did and stick to the game plan, we’ll be fine.”

Did these two backs-to-the-wall wins by GSW finally rock OKC's belief in its superiority? Does the champ think the work has been done?

Green's comments suggest otherwise but one thing is for sure - over in the East, the laidback Cleveland Cavaliers will just be hoping for a triple-overtime Game 7 and two heavyweights knocking the stuffing out of each other. 

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
G6: Golden State 108, Oklahoma 101
Series tied 3-3

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
G6: Cleveland 113, Toronto 87
Cleveland wins 4-2

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