OAKLAND — Golden State’s 113-92 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the opening round was the type of dominant, resounding clinic the Warriors have put on throughout the playoffs in recent years.
Their collective performance to end the regular season, however, was uninspiring. With playoff seeding established and Stephen Curry sidelined, Golden State lost 10 of its final 17 regular season games.
After Saturday’s victory, Warriors players were quick to remind everyone of their championship pedigree.
“We are primed for this,” forward Draymond Green said. “I think a lot of people tend to have forgotten what we are capable of. We know, and we are going to show that.”
Warriors guard Klay Thompson said they ‘absolutely’ wanted to make a statement in Game 1. Mission accomplished.
“We did not end the season on a high note,” Thompson said. “We were kind of hobbling into the playoffs. We know how talented we are. We know how good we are. We have been here before in the postseason. We know what it takes to win.”
For the first time in more than a month, Golden State mirrored its former dominant self on the defensive end.
This season, the Warriors ranked No. 9 in the NBA in defensive rating, which computes points allowed per possession, after finishing in the top-3 during each of the previous four seasons.Head coach Steve Kerr reiterated the team’s poor defense after recent losses. After Saturday’s win, he called Golden State’s defense in the past month ‘subpar.’
He seemed to get through to his team.
The Warriors held the Spurs to 40 percent field goal shooting Saturday afternoon. Golden State set the tone early, furiously rotating, doubling Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the low post, and using active hands to force turnovers. In the first quarter, the Spurs scored only 17 points, had five turnovers, and shot 35 percent from the floor.
The tone was set, and the Warriors cruised.
Kerr said he discerned the defensive intensity early into the game, which was his hope. He started forward Andre Iguodala over point guard Quinn Cook so the Warriors could easily switch screens to mitigate the success of San Antonio’s free-flowing offense.
“(I) just wanted to put our best defensive lineup on the floor from the beginning,” Kerr said. “I think the whole point of these games here early in this series is to reestablish our defense.”
Saturday’s win was vintage Golden State. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said they have to be ‘desperate’ in order to tie the series at one game apiece returning to San Antonio.
But if the Warriors replicate their defensive intensity and offensive efficiency, it’s hard to see them losing much at all.
“We understand we are not favorites,” Ginobili said. “We are underdogs. We talked about it. And to get a win here, we got to overachieve. We got to do better than we think we can do.”