From Rick Barry to Kevin Durant: Revisiting Some of the Best Oracle Arena Performances

Oracle Arena is hosting its last NBA Game on June 13, 2019 when the Warriors welcome the Raptors for Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The oldest arena in the NBA at the start of the 2018-19 season will host its final contest Thursday.

The Warriors will close down the famed Oracle Arena in Game 6 of the NBA Finals as they try to hold off the Raptors, who lead the series 3-2.

Open since 1966 and the home of Golden State since 1971, Oracle Arena has seen some fantastic moments throughout its years. We might not have hit them all, and please tell us which ones also deserve some love, but here's a look at some of the greatest performances to ever take place in the building.

Honorable Mention

Chris Mullin (11/12/1988)
Chris Mullin (1/9/1989)
Mitch Richmond (3/4/1989)
Michael Jordan (11/24/1992)
Tim Hardaway (4/25/1993)
Chris Webber (1/4/1994)
Shaquille O'Neal (4/5/2000)

15. Kevin Durant vs. Thunder (11/3/2016 and 1/18/2017)

In his first two meetings against his former team Kevin Durant did everything in his power to crush its soul and warn all of us what was coming that June.

They were two of his three highest scoring games of the season, along with another performance that is on this list. He dropped 39 points in the first meeting and 40 in the second, both of which were blowout victories for Golden State.

But it wasn’t about the competitiveness in these contests, it was about seeing KD dominate in the most ruthless fashion possible. And that’s what he did.

14. Stephen Curry sets record for most threes in a game (11/7/2016)

The Warriors had just lost their second game by 20 in the early season and Stephen Curry went 0-for-10 from three as the Lakers picked up a victory. So how would the greatest shooter in history respond?

He set the record for most threes in a game. And if Klay Thompson didn’t break that record earlier this season, this might be a bit higher just because of historical relevance.

But either way, Steph hit lucky number 13 to give him 46 on the night and essentially seal the win in the most Steph way possible.

13. Antawn Jamison and Kobe Bryant both drop 51 (12/6/2000)

What’s the best way to stop the Lakers from winning on a night Kobe Bryant drops 51? Have Antwan Jamison also drop 51 in the same game. On this day in 2000, the fans in Oakland got treated to a battle between the two All-Stars in which Jamison put together enough to top Shaq and Kobe.

12. James Harden hits game-winner to cap 44-15-10 night (1/3/2019)

In what was arguably the best regular-season game of the season, James Harden went toe-to-toe against his biggest adversaries without Chris Paul and put on a show. When you drop 44, 15 assists and 10 boards and cap the night with a game-winner on Draymond Green and Klay, you should yell expletives at the top of your lungs. Obviously, Harden and the Rockets weren’t able to conquer this demon in the postseason, but for this night in January, he had plenty of people ready to Believe in the Lie.

11. Klay Thompson scores 37 points in the third quarter (1/23/2015)

One of the first times you got to see Klay’s flamethrower on full display was this 52-points, five-assist, four-steal, two-block masterpiece. Of course, the 37-point third quarter is what will forever live on from this game as it reminded the competition just how quickly and ugly just one of the Splash Brothers can make a game.

Like, seriously, how do you feel good about your chances when the guy who is considered a better shooter had just 10 points and was cool just passing to the homie for knockdown buckets?

10. Kevin Durant earns first Finals MVP in Game 5 (6/12/2017)

The only championship-winning game in Oracle history where the home team was the victor came in 2017. And it was also the night Durant earned his first of two consecutive Finals MVPs. He posted 39 in the closeout game as the Dubs took away any faint hope people might have had that LeBron James and the Cavaliers could have another wild comeback.

9. Charles Barkley goes for 56 to finish sweep of Warriors (5/4/1994)

Charles Barkley put together one of the greatest halves in playoff history to complete a first-round sweep. Only one man scored more points in a quarter or half in a playoff game. That same person was the only person to make more consecutive field goals in a quarter. Barkley went 11-for-11 to open the game and had 27 points in the first quarter. He had 38 in the first half and finished the game with 56 and 14 rebounds to end the season of a 50-win Warriors team. They wouldn’t see the playoffs again until 2007 after what Barkley did.

8. Run-TMC upsets the Spurs for only playoff series win (5/3/1991)

The deepest playoff run from the short time Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin spent together came in 1991 when they reached the second-round as the seventh seed in the West. The Warriors upset the second-seeded Spurs in order to advance to the second round. The team wouldn’t get back to this point in the postseason until 2007. But this year, in which they would bring out Run-DMC in the second round to do player introductions, was the last of a special era in Warriors history. Hardaway dropped 32 with nine assists, Mullin had 23 and Richmond went for 17 and 11 boards.

7. Stephen Curry in Game 7 of 2016 Western Conference finals (5/30/2016)

Klay has just set the playoff record for threes in a game to keep the Dream season alive. And now was the time for the unanimous MVP to complete the 3-1 comeback. Another huge fourth quarter in Oracle from Wardell brought the crowd to an ovation and ended KD’s time in OKC. It was the last series this Warriors team won, but it wasn’t the best moment in their arena this season.

6. Rick Barry drops Oracle record 64 points (3/26/1974)

We can’t have a list like this without any reference of Rick Barry. And what Rick Barry game is better to pick than the one where he set the record for points scored in Oracle Arena. The Hall of Famer had plenty of classic moments in this stadium but none were as high scoring. Add in that he had 10 boards and nine assists and then you have to remember just how cold Rick Barry was on the basketball court. Like, really really cold.

5. Sleepy Floyd sets playoff record with 29 points in a quarter and 39 in a half (5/10/1987)

The most prolific scoring quarter and half in NBA playoff history belong to one Sleepy Floyd, who guided the Warriors past a Showtime Lakers squad that had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. But Floyd was able to help Golden State avoid a sweep as he dropped 51, including 29 in the fourth quarter. He helped the Warriors erase the 14-point deficit they faced going into the final period and stave off elimination for one more game. Floyd had 39 in total for the second half, which is also a playoff record, as well as the 12 straight field goals he made.

He also had 10 assists that night because there was literally nothing he couldn’t do in this contest.

4. We Believe Warriors top Mavericks so Baron Davis can posterize Andrei Kirilenko (5/3/2007 and 5/11/2007)

This could probably be a little higher on the list considering how amazing the totality of this run was, but it ended in the second round.

Still, Games 3, 4 and 6 against the Mavericks demonstrated just how raucous the crowd at Oracle can get when the Warriors are rolling and how easy it is for a team to just get lost in the sauce once they hear the entire city of Oakland go wild for their beloved team. An 18-point win, a four-point victory and a 25-point series-clinching beatdown is what Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Jason Richardson did to end Dirk Nowitzki’s MVP season. The game is cold.

But not as cold as what B. Diddy did to Andrei Kirilenko in the next round.

Will they have a mural of this poster at the Chase Center? Cause they should.

3. Stephen Curry in Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals (6/14/2015)

Remember those two games Matthew Dellavedova was giving Wardell fits?

Well, those were very likely the inspiration behind this 17-point fourth quarter that put Golden State one win away from starting its dynasty.

When he went behind the back, to set up the left-to-right cross into the pull-up three, that was the moment it all ended. Yeah, there was still a Game 6, but Curry just put up 37 and brought the whole house down. That was their championship right then and there and it was perfect.

2. Klay Thompson drops 60 points in 29 minutes on 11 dribbles (12/5/2016)

It was peak Klay.

It was a reminder of just how deadly this team could truly be after adding Kevin Durant.

And it was one of the most efficient nights in the history of the sport.

He barely put the ball on the ground and needed less than 30 minutes to drop 60. It was magnificent in every way possible.

And if it happened at a time more important than early December, it might hold the top spot on this list thanks to the pure absurdity of it.

1. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Games 5 and 7 the 2016 NBA Finals (6/13/2016 and 6/19/2016)

I’m sorry Warriors fans, but we all know this was it.

We know the story. 3-1 lead. Draymond is suspended for Game 5. The world was ready to laugh at LeBron for losing another Finals and prepared to anoint Steph the new best player in basketball after back-to-back MVP seasons and leading his team to the most wins in regular-season history.

Then Bron and Kyrie became the first ever teammates to both score 40 in a Finals game to send things back to Cleveland for a Game 6.

And then there was Game 7. And maybe if Kyrie didn’t hit the championship-winning shot in the face of the unanimous MVP, this spot would belong to Draymond Green for putting up a performance for the ages himself (32 points, 15 boards, nine assists, two steals and 6-for-8 from three). But Kyrie did hit that shot in Curry’s mouth. And Bron went for 27-11-11 with two steals and three blocks. Including one that will live on forever.