Game 1 Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors

San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors

The AT&T Center
May 6th, 8:30 PM Spurs Time
TV:TNT - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI

It is difficult to shake the idea that the Golden State Warriors are like a good college team. They all look super young (except Andrew Bogut he looks like a really big Abraham Lincoln) and one of the Warriors still has to beg his older teammates to buy him Zimas. (Those are still a thing right?) Most importantly they play like a college team. Here is a team that relies heavily on the 3. (They have the best percentage in the league.) Furthermore they essentially run a roster of 7 guys. (Sorry Richard Jefferson, that doesn't include you.) This is not an insult to the Warriors. Their unusual style of play has proven to be successful and interesting. In actuality this conception might simply spring from the fact that playing for the Warriors are two guys who were brilliant at college hoops. And they are...

Stephen Curry
30 points and 13 assists. That is what Steph dropped on the Nugs in Game two. This was essentially his playoff debut to the world. Anyone who has followed basketball already knew he wasn't merely a really excellent three point shooter, but still... Those numbers are impressive no matter who they come from. All that being said, Pop is not George Karl. As a result, Steph Curry is just not going to get the same looks he got against the Nuggies. (Does anyone call them that? Someone should call them that, Ok I am going to call them that.) And I didn't even mention that we have a certain poing guard who is one of the best of all time and is playing marvelously at this point. (No pun intended.) Because of that I call that match up in favor of the Spurs.

Jarret Jack
So this guy essentially took Georgia Tech to the NCAA finals with that layup of his. Several years later he found his niche in the NBA, which is not unlike Manu's niche. Can you copyright niches? Some Spur fan who is in marketing needs to get on this. He is no doubt worrisome. But because of David Lee being out (or is he?) basically the Warriors bench consists of Monsieur Jack and Draymond Green. Last time I checked the Spurs Bench consists of 11,000 mostly-consistently good players. If however one of the Spurs loses their shoe, don't expect any mercy from J. Jack.

Is David Lee the most expensive team mascot ever?
So David Lee went down in Game 1 with what was supposed to be a season ending injury. Then Mark Jackson decides to play him for some serious minute. (Yeah. It was actually a minute and twenty seven seconds but whatevs.) A few years back the Warriors let go of this guy and if you don't count movie actresses then the Warriors are without a mascot. At least they were without a mascot... I don't know the Coyote's salary but it has to be less than the 12 million plus that David Lee pulls in every year. If David Lee is in fact still injured then he might be wearing blue spandex for tonight's game. Which would still not be as weird as some of the stuff that Russell Westbrook has worn to a post game press conference. Too soon?

Game Analysis:
The Spurs are entering this contest focused and ready to play. They had plenty of rest, and they match up quite well with this oppenent. Cameron Archer summed up this series very well. "Obviously the members of the Spurs weren't assembled to dominate the Warriors, but if you suddenly woke up from a 15 year coma and saw this matchup, you might believe it to be true." So yeah Spurs by 9 because this kind of game was designed for the Spurs player wearing that number.

Lineups Starters PG: Legend SG: Good Guy SF: Good Young Guy PF: Greatest Power Forward Ever C: Good Guy Key Bench Players Legend Good Guy Wearing New Balances Good Guy Head Coach Gregg Popovich			Lineups Starters PG: Handsome bad guy SG: Bad guy SF: Bad guy PF: Bad guy C: Bad guy Key Bench Players Bad Guy Bad Guy Bad Guy with small ears Head Coach Mark Jackson

The Warrior's perspective can be found here @ Golden State Of Mind.

Get your San Antonio Spurs tickets here!

Game Prediction: Spurs by 9.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate.