Golden State Warriors: 5 Toughest playoff opponents of the decade

By Tony Pesta | Oct 10, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 16: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors brings the ball up the court against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 16, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Golden State Warriors (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. 2013 Western Conference Semi-Finals – San Antonio Spurs

Series results: Spurs win 4-2

The 2012-13 season marked the first time in over five seasons in which the Golden State Warriors reached the NBA playoffs. Entering as a 47-win sixth-seed, the expectations were not very high for the Dubs.

However, after knocking off the three-seeded Denver Nuggets, the Warriors became a sneaky big threat. Still, when they advanced to the second round to face off against the powerhouse San Antonio Spurs, nobody gave them a shot at winning the series.

Then, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson erupted in the first two games. In Game 1, Curry scored a playoff career-high 44 points. Despite this, the Dubs lost the first game in double overtime. Game 2 was a victory for the Warriors as they rode the wave of Thompon’s 34 points and 14 rebounds.

With the series tied at two apiece, the Spurs bounced back with a win behind Tony Parker‘s 32 points. Golden State responded with a 10-point win of their own, as the rookie, Harrison Barnes, scored 26 points.

Unfortunately, the Spurs proved to be too much for the inexperienced Warriors. San Antonio went on to win both games 5 and 6 to close out the series.

Both teams finished with five different players averaging double-digit points. Parker and Curry led the way for their teams as they both put up 22.5 points a game. The Spurs went on to lose to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

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