The series has no shifted to San Antonio, and the Spurs will be without the works of Kawhi Leonard as he will miss tonight’s game with an ankle injury suffered in game 1. You can lose Leonard and play Houston but this Warriors team is a well-oiled machine. They have elite shooters, passers, defenders, elite length, court vision from multiple guys from Curry to Green to Iguodala off the bench to Kevin Durant who was upped his passing skills this season and Livingston isn’t short of talent with passing.
You can’t expect the Warriors to let up once they have you done because they won’t. They attack attack attack attack until the opponent is beaten and Curry rests for the whole 4th. That’s how the Warriors play. They play to rest.
Ginobili is quoted to reporters as saying
“If he does play, great. Because he’s a lot of what we do but if he doesn’t we have to play our game.”
Same for Mills who summed it up saying we have to win or lose playing Spurs basketball. Spurs basketball is a formula of greatness. Defender on every wing along with inside. Playing inside to out, drive and kick. Is a potent team when they are clicking, and they have to get back to Popovich basketball.
Coach Pop was very straightforward about Aldridge’s play of late telling reporters during the postgame interview that Aldridge has to play basketball and not tentative; shying away from contact, hesitant on shots, not playing with any emotion. Aldridge scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and he only grabbed four boards. That’s far cry from the expected 35 & 15 he needs to put up.
Everybody has had their ups and downs this series, but Stephen Curry has been the man in the West. He is averaging 28.3 points this postseason on 48 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from the 3. He has upped his play every game since scoring 19 in game 2 of the opening round, and that was a blowout.
This Warriors team is full of talent and the Spurs have to come together and should down the Warriors shooters, break down their P&R offense, primarily the Curry/Durant pick and pop your poison because whoever gets the ball then somebody on the opposition is at a disadvantage trying to guard a Durant post up or jumping out on Curry outside the line.
Klay Thompson hasn’t put a scoring stamp on these playoffs due to the play of Durant and Curry and also Draymond Green who has been arguably the best defensive player in these playoffs. Whenever Thompson comes out of his slump then we should see Golden State cruise in these playoffs.
Warriors forward Iguodala (knee) is listed as questionable (fully participated in practice)
Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (heel) is also listed as questionable for Saturday (did not practice at all)
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (ankle) is listened as questionable for Saturday but all the Warriors are certain he’ll play.
Durant wasn’t pretty clear with his decision.
“Yeah, he’s going to play,” Durant said. “I haven’t talked to anybody, but that’s just my gut. They’re a way better team, obviously, with him on the court. They pose a different threat.”
Draymond as well.
“No doubt in my mind he’ll play.”
in a short sense, he stated.
But Popovich cleared it up nicely.
“Either he’s going to play or he’s not,” said Popovich, who added that he would take Leonard’s long-term health into consideration. “That’s always a factor.”
Leonard is a big part of what the Spurs do all around and they need him to progress and move forward if Aldridge is going to continue to play with the same enthusiasm he has since the 2nd half of game one.
