The Warriors and Spurs are in a rematch yet again, with both teams hoping to make it to the Finals. Most expect the Warriors and Cavs to face-off again, but the Spurs won't go down without a fight. The Warriors have cruised their way through the playoffs thus far, sweeping both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz. The Spurs battled their way here, taking down the Grizzlies and Rockets in 6 games. Tip-off for game one is at 3:30 PM ET on ABC.
Golden State keys
The Warriors come into this series refreshed and rested. The primary goal for Golden State is to establish a rhythm early on.
They haven't had any instances of bad basketball thus far in the playoffs, but if they get off to a rough start, then they need to work through some sets and get some ball movement. They are talented enough to come down and take turns shooting but getting that ball movement will be big for them in game one.
Defensively, the effort needs to be at its highest of the season. The team does a good job of gearing in for a series, but the Spurs should not be taken lightly. On paper, they aren't amazing, but they've been getting it done and winning games. The Warriors need to be prepared mentally and physically for that.
San Antonio keys
For San Antonio, they have to slow the game down. The Warriors completely torched the Jazz in fastbreak situations, and the Spurs would be in huge trouble of the Warriors got out in space and ran.
The Spurs need to control the tempo and force the Warriors into taking tough shots.
They aren't going to shut down the Warriors, but making them take contested shots is as good as you're going to get. On offense, it will be critical for San Antonio to hit shots. They got away against the Rockets by not hitting a lot of outside shots, but this won't fly against the Warriors.
Golden State is so efficient at shooting that the Spurs will have to match.
Kawhi Leonard's health will be huge in this game 1. If he can be ready to go 100 percent, the Spurs have their best chance that they'll get. If not, consider the Spurs done. The Warriors have too much talent to lose at home to the Spurs without a healthy Kawhi.
The Spurs' fate boils down to how Kawhi plays. He's going to have to play like LeBron James did in the 2016 Finals if the Spurs have any chance at this. The Spurs are outmatched at every position, and it's going to take a lot for them to take more than a game off Golden State.
We may not get to see the 7-game Spurs vs. Warriors battle that we want, but this is the toughest opponent that Golden State has in the playoffs so far, so we get to see how they respond.
