Golden State Warriors 113-92 San Antonio Spurs: 5 Talking Points

#1 Warriors Defense

Warriors play tenacious defense

The Warriors came into the playoffs playing some of the worst defense we have seen the defending champions play allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 28th in the league in that span. We expected them to turn it up come playoff time, and that is exactly what they did.

With the insertion of Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, the Warriors made it pretty clear that defense is going to be their top priority to start this game (The Warriors defense improves by almost 6 on the rating scale with Andre Iguodala on the floor). They played tenacious defense right from tip-off, showing the critics that they can turn up the heat when required.

The starting lineup of Green, Durant, McGee, Thompson and Iguodala was just too much to handle for the Spurs offense. Their length and versatility on defense with the ability to switch on players and close out shots didn't allow Spurs to even get a single clear look at the basket as they entered halftime scoring only 1 field goal in the last 6 minutes of the quarter.

The smooth and easy victory for the Warriors was largely in part due to their solid defense.