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| The Western Conference Finals shall be a compelling collision course. |
Some things are just meant to be, year after year. For the Spurs, that would mean defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Those same Cavaliers are now facing the Toronto Raptors for the Crown of the East, having defeated the Boston Celtics 4-2. It is a crown that King James hasn't relinquished in eight seasons. For the defending champions, however, one constant in the western conference is the always-daunting and ever-more-so task of having to defeat the Golden State Warriors, who have just bested their newest foe, the Houston Rockets, 4-3, to meet the Spurs.
There can be only one king of the west...will it be the #1 or #2 seed?
Well, in Game 1...
Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and made some key defensive plays, freeing his perimeter shot on the one-man fast break when he wasn’t in dunk mode. The Spurs held an uneasy fifteen point lead for most of the game, before the lead grew and Golden State conceded this first meeting.
A strong 2nd quarter of 35-24 got the Spurs in control, nabbing 9 steals overall, with Rudy Gay having a solid night of 22 points and 3 of those steals. Pau Gasol had 15 points with 9 rebounds; Iman Shumpert had eleven, Davis Bertans contributed ten points and Bismack Biyombo had 10 rebounds. In the losing road effort, Steph Curry had 25 points with 8 assists, Kevin Durant had 18 points with 10 rebounds and Klay Thompson had 17 points, but shot just 8/22 on the night. The Spurs committed just two turnovers.