2018 NBA Playoffs First Round San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors: Preview and prediction

No. 2 Golden State Warriors (58-24) vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs (47-35)

Playoff series schedule: 

• Game 1 in Oakland: Saturday, April 14, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 2 in Oakland: Monday, April 16, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
• Game 3 in San Antonio: Thursday, April 19, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
• Game 4 in San Antonio: Sunday, April 22, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 5 in Oakland: TBA (if necessary)
• Game 6 in San Antonio: TBA (if necessary)
• Game 7 in Oakland: TBA (if necessary)

Season series: 3-1, Warriors

Why will the Spurs win?

LaMarcus Aldridge will have to be the best player on the court and Coach Greg Popovich will have to devise a master plan to win four of these games. The Spurs are capable on the defensive end and when combined with a hall of fame coach and the Warriors’ recent struggles, an upset is possible here.

Why will the Warriors win?

Injuries have hurt both teams chances but with Kevin Durant and the other multiple weapons, the Warriors have on offense the Spurs are going to be hard-pressed to keep up with. At the end of the day, if the Warriors shoot the ball they will win this series.

Prediction: The Spurs will not have enough offensive fire-power to keep up with the Warriors in this series. Popovich’s coaching will be good for a win or two but winning more than that in this series would be highly doubtful.

Warriors in 6