The chess match that will be the Western Conference Finals begins today with the Warriors hosting the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1.
Many key matchups will determine the outcome with the Spurs' gameplan to slow down Steph Curry being near the top.
San Antonio has a reputation for allowing its bigs to sag back when defending the pick-and-roll, a tactic that's is typically effective in preventing driving lanes and keeping the ball in front of defenders. Curry provides a different challenge.
The most prolific 3-point shooter of all-time requires a different kind of attention so that he can't dribble up easily into good 3-point looks. But if the Spurs do stick to their usual pick-and-roll defense, Curry won't be complaining.
Asked Steph about SAS strategy of leaving bigs back in PNR last series. His response: "I hope they do that" pic.twitter.com/yQvwMm1SAM
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) May 13, 2017
This will be one of the many games inside the game this series, keeping an eye on the Spurs' defensive strategy on Curry.
Kawhi Leonard is expected to have the assignment of Kevin Durant most often while it will be more interesting to see where the Spurs use Danny Green — either chasing Klay Thompson around screens or doing the same with Curry.
The Warriors have more weapons on offense than almost any team ever. The Spurs remain one of the elite defenses in the NBA with possibly the best individual defender as well. Something will need to give in this series.
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