Golden State Warriors defeat the San Antonio Spurs handedly in playoff opener
The Golden State Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113-92 in game one of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. Thanks to a revival of the team’s defensive intensity and big games from the likes of Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and JaVale McGee, the Spurs never had a chance.
The Golden State Warriors began their newest playoff journey with a decisive win over the San Antonio Spurs. In a game that never saw the home team fall behind in points, the Warriors proved all of their recent doubters wrong.
The team struggled to close out the regular season thanks to their clear lack of effort on both sides of the ball. That problem was quickly done away with once the playoffs began. The team came out in game one with a high level of intensity on both ends of the court, but specifically on defense.
This level of effort on the defensive end is made apparent by the team’s six steals, six blocks, and an astounding 21 more rebounds than the Spurs brought in. The Warriors’ defense that we have come to know over the past four years has officially returned.
The absence of Steph Curry did not effect the team’s offensive abilities in this game. Even without their star point guard, the team scored 113 points, with 27 coming from Klay Thompson, 24 from Kevin Durant, and 15 from JaVale McGee.
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We have come to expect that type of production from Thompson and Durant, but it is the play of McGee that was the most pleasant surprise of the game. Not only did McGee post an impressive 15 points in just 16 minutes, but he was also highly effective on the defensive end of the court.
His play on defense was one of the main reasons Spurs’ star forward, Lamarcus Aldridge, was held to only 14 points. Aldridge was one for six in shots attempted against McGee. If McGee’s play continues at this level, it is hard to envision a scenario in which the Spurs have a shot in this series.
The team’s ball movement was also excpetional in this win. The Warriors put up 32 assists, compared to the Spurs mere 19, with 11 of these assists coming from Draymond Green and seven from Kevin Durant.
When the team shows this combination of defensive intensity and ball movement to go with their always elite scoring capabilities, they are nearly unbeatable.
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The Spurs will need to make serious adjustments to their gameplan going into game two, or else they will not stand a chance in this series. If the team wants to be competitive with the Warriors, they must get Lamarcus Aldridge more involved. Your best player scoring only 14 points on 12 shot attempts is simply not adequate to beat the Warriors.
If there is any coach that can make the necessary adjustments to get back into this series, it is Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich. It will be interesting to see if he does just that and how he rest of the series will unfold.