San Antonio Spurs: Takeaways From Season Opener vs. Warriors

Spurs’ Offense Tops Warriors’ Defense

Obviously, the Spurs were on top of their game in this one, but how well they played goes beyond the amount of points they scored.

In addition to those 129 points, the Spurs also shot an efficient 48 percent from the field overall and connected on 50 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.

And if those numbers haven’t gotten you out of your seat just yet, it is also worth noting that the Spurs outscored the Warriors by a 15-point margin from three-point range. Considering the Dubs were the top team in three-point shooting a year ago, this an impressive stat.

Despite how shocked many of us may be at this one-sided affair, Steve Kerr did give advance warning that his team may struggle defensively this season.

"“The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr told CSNBayArea.com. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker. “So there’s definitely adjustments we’ll have to make, even schematically. We’ll have some growing pains, especially on defense, as we try to make sure we get everything right and comfortable.”"

While it is just the season opener, the Spurs reminded the Warriors that they need to bring their “A” game every night or risk encountering more humiliating losses like this one as the season progresses.