May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward Carl Landry (7) celebrates after a basket against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
After defeating the Denver Nuggets in six games in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors will now look ahead to their next challenge, otherwise known as the San Antonio Spurs.
Monday night’s game between the Warriors and Spurs will presumably be a wild one, as both teams are coming off of very different first round victories.
The Warriors were able to take down the Nuggets in a very physical, scrappy, and chippy first round series. The six games between Denver and Golden State were filled with clutch shots, physical play, and some very hot 3-point shooting (courtesy of Stephen Curry). The Warriors ended up pulling off the upset against the third-seeded Denver squad who really emerged this season as one of the top teams in the league. But the Warriors came prepared and played as a team, and as a result, have moved on to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.
As for the Spurs, they are coming off of a very calm and serene first round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.
First of all, Kobe Bryant didn’t play a single game due to his torn Achilles, and Steve Nash didn’t really play throughout the series either. Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have had their struggles all season long, and when Andrew Goudelock is in your playoff starting lineup, you know you’re desperate.
That said, the Spurs had it pretty easy in the first round against the Lakers, but that won’t be the case in the Western Conference Semifinals.
San Antonio will be facing a Warriors team that has been red-hot as of late, and are led by sharpshooting point guard Stephen Curry, who is averaging 24.3 points per game and 9.3 assists per game, on top of his 2.2 steals per game this postseason.
Curry has emerged into stardom and there should be no denying it.
He’s hungry. He’s ready. He’s prepared.
All in all, the Warriors will face their biggest challenge in the postseason thus far Monday night in San Antonio. The second-seeded Spurs will look to end Golden State’s high-octane offense and their magical postseason run, but the Warriors will not go down without a fight.
With Curry leading the way, and guys like Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes stepping up, I believe that the Warriors will be able to steal Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Spurs Monday night.
Nothing is ever guaranteed in the NBA, so both teams should come prepared for a bloodbath.
Topics: Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Playoffs, San Antonio Spurs
