1. Turnovers
Since Golden State plays such a high-tempo game, their turnover rate is high for a team that has a chance to be one of the best we’ve ever seen. They rank 25th in the league with 15.1 turnovers per game.
Looking at this from the Spurs point of view–they’ve averaged 16.1 points off turnovers this season–there will be ample opportunities to make the Warriors pay. The reason why the turnovers haven’t hurt the Warriors as much as they would other teams is because they can come back and nail a three within 10 seconds.
The Spurs, however, are a team that will look to capitalize off of every turnover even if that means slowing the ball down on potential fast-break opportunities to get the best shot possible.
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It may sound cliche when saying turnovers will determine the winner, but in a game with two elite teams that take advantage of almost every mistake their opposition makes, these types of plays are magnified. The Spurs will need to capitalize on turnovers AND be able to come up with stops after their baskets followed by the turnover, and they must do it consistently throughout the series.