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The 2017 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, hosted the San Antonio Spurs at the Oracle Arena for Game 1 of the first round matchup between these two teams.
Both teams were not at full strength with the Warriors missing their 2 time MVP Stephen Curry and the Spurs missing their perennial All-Star Kawhi Leonard with a mysterious quad injury but because of the presence of 3 other All-Stars for the Warriors, they were the heavy favorites going into Game 1.
The Dubs played tenacious defense from the get-go and the Spurs just couldn't find any sort of rhythm on the offensive end of the floor at any point in the game.The game ended in a blowout as the final score read 113-92 in the favor of the Warriors.
Here are the major talking points from the game:
#5 Warriors dominate the boards and moved the ball better
The Golden State Warriors used the home court advantage to their benefit and played aggressively for 3 quarters of the match (that's all they needed). The one thing that the San Antonio Spurs could have taken advantage of was the rebounding. The Spurs' bigs could have attacked the boards to create second-chance opportunities and thus slow down the pace of the game.
The Spurs got obliterated on the boards as they got outrebounded by almost 21 (51-30). Of those 51 by Golden State, 10 were offensive rebounds for the Warriors (Spurs only had 3).
The ball was moving smoothly for the defending champs. They led the league in assists in the regular season with 29.3 assists per game and tonight was nothing unusual. The Warriors ended with 32 assists for 44 field goals in comparison to only 19 assists for the Spurs.
#4 LaMarcus Aldridge disappoints yet again
LaMarcus Aldridge after enduring two rough seasons with the Spurs, came on his own this season scoring 23.1 points, 8.5 boards and 2.0 dimes per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field. A lot depended upon the 6-time NBA All-Star for the success of the Spurs and they were hoping for a big performance from him which he is quite capable of.
Aldridge looked to be aggressive at the early stages of the game as he made his first two attempts at the basket but as the Warriors increased the intensity of their defense, including their decision to start JaVale McGee ahead of Zaza Pachulia, he just couldn't find any way to score the basketball.
Aldridge picked up 3 fouls early in the second quarter and ended up scoring just 8 points in the first half and finally ended the game with just 14 points and 2 rebounds. The Spurs are going to need a much better performance from him if they want to make this series competitive, let alone winning even one game.
#3 JaVale McGee had a 16-minute spark
Amongst the 3 All-Stars on the floor for the Warriors, JaVale McGee was the pick of the players as he ended up with season-high 15 points and 4 rebounds. Although McGee was on the floor was just 16 mins, he played some inspiring basketball which impacted the game and turned out to be a difference maker.
McGee started the game aggressively playing solid defense on Aldridge, not allowing him to get to his spot and even blocking one of his shots. On the other end, he ran the floor for open dunks and used his height advantage to create problems for the Spurs on the boards. McGee brought energy to the offense and defense for the Warriors and left the game to a standing much deserving standing ovation by the Oracle.
His stat line read 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 16 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting.
#2 Warriors All-Stars showed up
The 3 All-Stars for the Dubs showed up and played big-time basketball. Kevin Durant was absolutely sensational to start the game passing the ball almost perfectly to create open looks for his teammates. The 2017 Finals MVP ended the game with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. He controlled the pace of the game and took over the first and second quarter to give the Warriors a commanding lead.
Klay Thompson had one of those nights where he just couldn't miss. He was red hot, shooting 11-of-13 from the field, which included 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Draymond Green, on the other hand, did what he usually does. He quietly filled his stat sheet and ended with just 2 rebounds short of a triple-double. He was the floor general for the Dubs as he usually is racking up 11 assists to go along with his 12 points and 8 rebounds.
#1 Warriors Defense
The Warriors came into the playoffs playing some of the worst defense we have seen the defending champions play allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 28th in the league in that span. We expected them to turn it up come playoff time, and that is exactly what they did.
With the insertion of Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, the Warriors made it pretty clear that defense is going to be their top priority to start this game (The Warriors defense improves by almost 6 on the rating scale with Andre Iguodala on the floor). They played tenacious defense right from tip-off, showing the critics that they can turn up the heat when required.
The starting lineup of Green, Durant, McGee, Thompson and Iguodala was just too much to handle for the Spurs offense. Their length and versatility on defense with the ability to switch on players and close out shots didn't allow Spurs to even get a single clear look at the basket as they entered halftime scoring only 1 field goal in the last 6 minutes of the quarter.
The smooth and easy victory for the Warriors was largely in part due to their solid defense.
Guess the Lakers players!
