Warriors (12-0) ease into Finals
SAN ANTONIO — This Golden State Warriors’ postseason stampede through the NBA Western Conference has been defined by dominance, not drama.
The finale stuck to that script Monday night. The Warriors jumped up early on the wounded Spurs, squashed every mini rally and ran away with a 129-115 victory to vanquish another overwhelmed opponent, completing a third consecutive sweep to become the first team in NBA history to start the postseason 12-0.
This is their third consecutive Western Conference crown and, by far, their easiest path of the three. Ten of the Warriors’ 12 victories came by 10 or more points. They won by an average of 16.3 points per game. They haven’t lost a game since mid-February, when all their stars were healthy and active.
The NBA Finals begin June 1 in Oracle against Cleveland or Boston.
“No one remembers second place,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “No one cares who lost in the Finals. It’s about winning. We’re there, that’s the first step, now it’s about winning.”
After mashing the Blazers and Jazz in the first two rounds, the Warriors faced their first and only real Western Conference scare in Game 1 of this series. The Spurs led by 25 at one point in Oracle, but Kawhi Leonard’s third quarter ankle sprain changed the game and series. The Warriors zapped themselves awake, came back to win that day, then whacked a scarred Spurs team by 36, 12 and 14 the past three games.
In the finale, the Warriors separated early. Stephen Curry came out aggressive, slithering through the lane for four layups in the first five minutes. Klay Thompson remained way off — missing his first six shots — but Kevin Durant picked up the slack.
Durant hit six of his first seven shots, combining with Curry for eight layups in the first 16 minutes. The Warriors eased out to a 31-19 first-quarter lead.
The lead sat above 10 for most of the night, as the Warriors were 18 of 21 in the lane during the first half.
There were a few moments of life from the Spurs and their crowd, who were celebrating the likely end to Manu Ginobili’s career. In the third quarter, the Spurs cut it to 11 and the crowd rose to life.
But Durant set up Curry for a wing three-pointer, which jacked the lead back to 14. A few possessions later, after the Spurs sliced it briefly back to 10, Durant attacked in the pick-and-roll and nailed a pull-back 14-footer.
Right after the Durant jumper, Green hit a three-pointer to bump the lead to 15, Curry nailed a deep contested three-pointer, then forced his way to the line for two free throws. The lead was back to 20 and any unrealistic comeback hopes had been dashed.