2018 NBA Playoffs Preview: Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs, SWOT Analysis & Prediction
The defending champions, Golden State Warriors, have had a roller coaster ride throughout the season. The Warriors started their season on a high, but as the season progressed, the Warriors stumbled down the stretch being hampered by injuries to all their key players. It even reached to a situation where all their 4 All-Stars were out suffering from injuries which appeared to create a general sense of apathy on the part of the players and the coaching staff. Even after being shorthanded to start these playoffs, the 2017 NBA Champions still have enough firepower to get through the first round.
The San Antonio Spurs might have had one of the weirdest seasons in the past two decades. Head coach Greg Popovich has 5 champions under his belt, but this still might be one of the best seasons of this coaching career. With arguably having no perennial All-Star on their roster, Popovich has somehow managed take the Spurs to the 7th Spot in a very tough Western Conference and has once again shown why he is considered one of the greatest coaches of All-Time.
In this piece, we break down for you the specifics of this exciting first-round series from the Western Conference playoffs.
#1 Strengths
Golden State Warriors
The way the Warriors move the ball around, look to willingly pass the ball and find the easiest possible shot makes them deadly on the offensive end. Combining that with the offensive prowess of Kevin Durant and one of the best shooters in the history of the game with Klay Thompson, the Warriors are still one of the best offenses in the NBA even without Steff Curry.
The Dubs are number one in the league in assist percentage of 68.5 with an assist ratio of 21.1 averaging almost 30 assists per game. They also lead the league in Effective Field Goal Percentage and Three-point shooting percentage with 56.9 percent and 39.1 respectively and thus having the best offensive rating of 112.3 per game in the league.
This is pretty impressive considering the fact that the Warriors have had to deal with a multitude of injuries this season. Not to mention the fact that the Warriors have gone through this process already three times in last 3 years and therefore know how to win a playoff series.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have the 4th best defensive rating with 102.4 in the league. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an offensive rebound percentage of 23.7. San Antonio Spurs can use their size and length to create problems for the Warriors on the boards.
The Spurs have a very deep roster with a good mix of young talented players and vetran players headed by one of the best coaches of all time.