Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Spurs
2. Spurs’ effort shrinks margins
The Warriors out-rebounded the Spurs 51-30 in Game 1. Some of that was the result of how each team shot the ball, but it was mostly about effort and lineups. LaMarcus Aldridge was a no-show from the opening tip, while he, Pau Gasol and Davis Bertans combined for just six rebounds — one less than Andre Iguodala.
In Game 2, the trio combined for 19 boards. Not great, but enough to diminish Golden State’s 21-rebound advantage down to four.
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The Game 1 disparity allowed the Warriors to lose the turnover battle (15-12) and still finish with more field goal attempts (81-80) and just two fewer free throws (24-22). In Game 2, the Spurs cut their turnovers to nine, while Golden State’s stayed at 15. Predictably, San Antonio won the shots on goal battle by a greater margin (85-78 in field goal attempts, 30-20 in free throw attempts).
This is not sufficient change for the Spurs getting back in the series, but it is a necessary start. There is still a gulf separating the shooting and scoring acumen on each side, and if the Warriors continue to hit 3s at a 47.2 percent clip while the Spurs stay at 26 percent, shot quantity won’t matter.
However, this series is shifting back to San Antonio, where the Spurs went 33-8 (compared to 14-27 on the road) and shot 36 percent from deep (34.4 percent on the road). Simply feeding off their crowd should help increase their possession advantage and decrease the 3-point margin.
The Warriors do not have to be willing participants, particularly in the former category. Shooting will come and go, but effort can stay consistent. Turnovers fuel crowds like nothing else, and if the Warriors limit those while maintaining their rebounding edge, they can keep winning — though the margins will be slimmer if the shooting starts to fluctuate.