Game 2: San Antonio Spurs 101-116 Golden State Warriors - 5 Talking Points
NBA's defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, needed 16 wins in the postseason to win their second consecutive title and third in the last four years. Three days into the 2018 Playoffs, the Dubs have already registered two wins, both at home and at the expense of the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs.
And worse, they've been doing it without their best player, Stephen Curry.
So much was said about the Warriors' focus at the end of the regular season and how they were waiting for the Playoffs to start. Well, come postseason time, the players have stepped up their execution, focus, and overall performance. Through two games, they've beaten the Spurs by an average margin of 18 points.
Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from Game 2 on Monday night:
#5 Spurs make the game as competitive as possible but it's not enough
Given the 21-point win in Game 1 for the Warriors and knowing Gregg Popovich's coaching pedigree, the prediction for a close Game 2 wouldn't have been a hot take.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Spurs still ended up losing by 15 points but they did lead 53-47 at halftime. When you are a super team and you struggle, eventually everybody knows your weaknesses. What makes the Warriors a great team is that they don't allow their opponents to win anyway or rather they don't let it happen too often when it counts.
The Spurs came out determined, followed their game plan to the T to start the game and did all they could but at the end of the day, the talent deficit was just too much for them to overcome. They'll probably play better in Game 3 with their home crowd behind them but expecting them to win might be asking too much of them.