Golden State Warriors: What we learned from round one of the playoffs
The Golden State Warriors finished a gentlemen’s sweep of the Spurs last night, closing out game five to win the series 4-1. What did we learn from these five games?
The Golden State Warriors are currently preparing to face off with one of the league’s best young players, Anthony Davis, and the New Orleans Pelicans this Saturday. This upcoming games comes courtesy of the fact that the team closed out the San Antonio Spurs last night, winning the fifth game of the series with a score of 99-91.
This game was the team’s fourth win in five games, ending the series in a gentlemen’s sweep. While it may appear that the team made waste of their opponent with little to no struggles, the series was not as easy as the 4-1 finish may make it appear.
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The San Antonio Spurs had no chance of upsetting this Warriors team, it’s true. Despite the fact that a Golden State victory was all but imminent, the opposing team made each game difficult on them.
Because of the absence of Stephen Curry and the defensive ability of the San Antonio Spurs, most of the games were ugly. This was a Warriors’ playoff series unlike any we have paid witness to in recent years. It was a defensive showdown.
This was a somewhat shocking development, as the Golden State defense was let’s say, not good, in the regular season. Well i suppose it isn’t that surprising since the defensive woes were caused by a clear lack of effort on that end. In the playoffs the effort level rises, and so did the team’s defense.
In five games, the highest amount of points scored by the Spurs was 103, coming in their lone win of the series. In game two, San Antonio scores 101, and every other game the team was held below 100 points. Overall. the Spurs averaged 96.8 points in the series. This is a clear improvement over the 107.5 points per game the Warriors gave up during the regular season.
Granted, the Spurs aren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse, only averaging 102.7 points per game in the regular season. Regardless of the level of competition, it is an encouraging sign that the team is once again asserting their dominance on the defensive end.
While the team’s defense in the series was encouraging, the offense was quite the opposite. The San Antonio Spurs were among the best defensive teams in the league this season, so it isn’t surprising they did a effective job stifling the Warrior’s offense.
But it is concerning just how stagnant the team’s offense looked at times. It is clear that this team needs Steph Curry to return if they want to win another championship this season.
What was promising about the team’s offense was the fact that Klay Thompson showed up in big moments and picked up some of the slack in Curry’s absence. Thompson had a 31, 21, and 24 point performance in the series.
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In the one game Thompson did not perform well, scoring only 12 points, the team lost. If the team wants to succeed while Curry is out than it is clear a strong performance by Klay Thompson is necessary.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be a tough matchup for a Curry-less Warriors team. If the team keeps up defensive intensity shown in round one, they should win. But much like the series against the Spurs, it may be ugly if Curry does not return in a hurry.