© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — This is the day the Warriors had eagerly awaited since the season’s onset. Throughout the past month, Golden State has seemingly coasted, knowing its No. 2 seed in the Western Conference was solidified.
The Warriors welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to begin playoff play Saturday afternoon. The question surrounding the Warriors was whether they would show lingering effects of a 7-10 end to the season, or return to their dominant ways that has brought them two of the past three NBA championships.
We quickly found it to be the latter. The Warriors dominated the Spurs to a decisive victory, 113-92.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shuffled the starting lineup, starting Andre Iguodala over Quinn Cook and choosing Javale McGee out of Golden State’s platoon of centers. Just minutes into the game, it became clear Kerr had made the right call, as the Warriors jumped out to a quick lead largely because of an unlikely source: McGee. He finished around the rim, single-handedly outscoring San Antonio 9-8 in the first six minutes, and defensively disrupted Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
After the Warriors jumped out to an early lead, forward Kevin Durant settled in. He operated out of the midrange to get himself in a groove, elevating over smaller defenders and connecting on five of his first six attempts. Eleven of his 24 points came in the first quarter. Cook came off the bench and promptly drilled a jumper, appearing every bit as confident as he did in the final month of the season in which he performed brilliantly.
One of the hot topics of Golden State’s quest to repeat as NBA champions is whether it can return to its former defensive dominance. Saturday afternoon was a positive first step. The Warriors frequently doubled Aldridge in the post, then rotated effectively once Aldridge passed out of trouble. San Antonio’s role players were dared to beat Golden State, but they struggled from start to finish.
The Spurs shot 35 percent in the first quarter with five turnovers. They ended the game shooting 40 percent with 13 turnovers.
The majority of the game was played with the Warriors leading by a comfortable margin. For every push San Antonio made in the first half, including a 7-2 run to start the second quarter, the Warriors responded. San Antonio started the second half on a 5-0 run, cutting the Golden State lead to 11, but Warriors guard Klay Thompson made contested jumpers to deflate San Antonio’s momentum.
Thompson continued the best shooting season of his career, in which he posted career-highs in field goal percentage (48.8) and three-point accuracy (44 percent), into Game 1 of the opening round. He finished 11-13 for 27 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
The Warriors ended the third quarter on a 10-2 run and led 86-63. The game was effectively over.
The Spurs stand little chance in this series if Aldridge continues to struggle the way he did Saturday. He finished with 14 points on 5-12 shooting.
With two-time All NBA first-teamer Kawhi Leonard injured, San Antonio has heavily relied on Alridge’s production throughout the season. The Spurs are 11-6 when Aldridge scores at least 30 points. They are 6-13 when he scores 17 points or fewer.
Golden State and San Antonio will square off in Game 2 Monday night.