NBA Playoffs 2017: Warriors defeat the Spurs for a 3-0 lead
The Golden State Warriors defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals tonight for a 3-0 series lead.
The San Antonio Spurs were hoping for a little home-cooking in Game 3 after dropping two games in Oakland. The Spurs lost their best player, Kawhi Leonard, in Game 1 and then got shellacked in Game 2 by the Warriors. San Antonio was hoping a lineup change in Game 3 would help them climb back into the series.
The Warriors didn’t relent, defeating the Spurs 120-108 in a complete team performance.
The Spurs had a solid first quarter and actually found themselves up 33-29. But a late first-half run by the Warriors and suddenly the Dubs were up nine heading into halftime. San Antonio continued to be in striking distance the rest of the game, but never once did the Spurs could threaten to come back and defeat this Golden State team.
Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors, scoring 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting. Stephen Curry followed suit, adding 21 points on an efficient shooting night. JaVale McGee started in place of the injured Zaza Pachulia and had a really quick start for the Warriors. He finished the night with 16 points on only nine shots.
The Spurs’ best player on the floor was Manu Ginobili, who was vintage Manu once again. He had 21 points on a 7-for-9 shooting night, including two three-pointers. LaMarcus Aldridge still didn’t look like a superstar and often seemed scared against Draymond Green in the post. San Antonio’s season is likely over in their next game, even if Kawhi Leonard plays. They just don’t have the horses to run with the Golden State Warriors and it was evident tonight.
Here’s the box score from Game 3 and three takeaways.
3 Takeaways
1. The Warriors’ ability to plug and play continues. In Game 2, Andre Iguodala doesn’t play and the Warriors plugged in Patrick McCaw — a rookie — and didn’t see a difference. In Game 3, the Warriors don’t have their starting center, Zaza Pachulia, and start JaVale McGee in his place. Not only did Golden State not miss a beat, they got a boost from McGee. Making his first start in the playoffs, the Dubs’ center, who’s often seen on Shaq’tin a fool, was their best player in the first quarter. He came out aggressive and in seven minutes of play, he had nine points for the Warriors. He also had some solid defensive plays that Pachulia doesn’t have the athleticism to do. This just highlights how good the Warriors’ bench players are. They may not be as deep as last year, but they’re professional veterans — or a rookie in McCaw’s case — and step in and fulfill their role. It also helps to have four of the best 15 players in the world too.
2. Coach Popovich is working with absolutely nothing. After Kawhi Leonard went down, many saw the collapse in Game 1 and the blowout in Game 2 and thought that Leonard was starting to make his case for MVP. But really, it’s just Gregg Popovich hiding the flaws of his terrible, old roster. Think about this: the Spurs’ best player on Saturday night was Manu Ginobili, the guy that’s been teetering on retirement for years now. LaMarcus Aldridge is a shell of himself and Jonathon Simmons, the player who paid $150 to get a D-League chance, has been looking like Kawhi 2.0. Dejounte Murray is a rookie getting valuable playing time and is starting to look better and better. The Spurs’ roster is filled with young, unproven guys or old veterans that were over the top. Take away Kawhi Leonard and Coach Popovich is working with nothing. Going up against the Golden State Warriors, for them to stay competitive in Game 3, just shows how good of a coach, Popovich really is.
3. Klay Thompson might be finding his stroke again. Klay Thompson has been a shell of himself during these playoffs. As the third option, he seems to be unable to find his shooting rhythm and has consistently been missing from long-range. His scoring and shooting were down and it looked like the Thompson from Game 6 in OKC last year was gone. Coming into Game 3, the Warriors were probably trying to make sure that Thompson finds his rhythm again. Thompson attempted 15 shots, which was the same number as Stephen Curry. He made seven of them for 17 points, his highest total in this series. He also went 3-for-6 from the three-point line, which is what the Warriors’ fans were hoping for.
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Heading into a potential Finals three-match with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors will need to make sure all their horses are ready to go. Cleveland took down Boston by 44 points on Friday and I’m sure the Warriors took note. They came out and took care of business in Game 3, setting themselves up for the sweep.