Warriors at Spurs: 3 takeaways from Golden State’s convincing win

The Golden State Warriors bulldozed the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

Never have we seen a team that could flip the switch so effortlessly as the Golden State Warriors. They have been doing this now for about four seasons now, but it’s still pretty spectacular to watch. The San Antonio Spurs were playing with zeal and energy after a demoralizing road trip and had the defending champs down by 19 points at one point in the first half. Then, as if right on cue, the Warriors flipped the switch.

Golden State, led by some stellar shooting from their three-headed monster of Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, turned that 19-point deficit into a runaway 20-point blowout, 112-92, at the AT&T Center.

Here’s what we took from the Warriors’ bulldozing of a Spurs team that appears to be slipping off the cliff every passing game.

1. The Warriors look bored

You know that “flip the switch” mentality that we praised the Warriors over earlier? Well, that mentality seems to stem from the fact that this team is bored out of their minds.

Who can blame them?

Golden State has now been to three straight NBA Finals, have comprised the best record in the NBA over that same span, have garnered every single award imaginable, and have beaten every team in the league. When you’ve accomplished everything there is to be accomplished in the NBA, boredom tends to set in, which is what’s happening to Golden State.

Their deficit against the Spurs wasn’t because they’re on a downward slope like the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be in right now. It was because they didn’t care. The Warriors knew that, at some point, they could flip that switch and easily take care of San Antonio.

That’s not a mark on their game — they are just that good. The Warriors make boredom look exciting, and that’s something that we haven’t seen since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls once dominated the NBA landscape.

Even if you’re a Warriors hater, you have to appreciate the sheer skill this team has.

2. The Spurs are weak without Kawhi Leonard

Early in the season, the Spurs looked like a team that would survive just fine with not having Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Oh, how a week can change things.

When was the last time we saw San Antonio lose four straight games? Yeah, it’s been awhile, but this time feels different. When you look at the Spurs roster, you can understand why this team doesn’t look like a contender.

LaMarcus Aldridge brought his game, and he led San Antonio with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The problem with the Spurs is their supporting cast, which (and you know this too, Spurs fans) was also a huge reason they went 0-4 in the Western Conference Finals last year.

The loss of Leonard has exposed the supporting cast problem in San Antonio, and if they expect to make a run in the tough West, the front office needs to have a wake-up call and start finding supporting players that can help Leonard and Aldridge, because as of right now, that impressive streak of 50-plus wins seems to be in serious jeopardy.

3.  The Warriors are heading for another 60-plus win season

I think we said a mouth full about this year’s edition of the Warriors in the first takeaway, but one thing that we all can take away from this slaughtering of San Antonio is this — the Warriors are heading into another 60-plus win season.

It may not be 67 wins, but surely, 62-to-64 wins should be no problem for Golden State. There is no team in the league (yet) that has emerged as a serious threat to the Warriors reign on top of the NBA throne.

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Maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder could be a challenge later on, but as of right now, it’s the Golden State Warriors and everyone else.

Period.