The first contest between the two giants in the Western Conference attracted much attention, and league president Bald Hua also appeared at the Oracle Arena.
As Shi Fo retreats from the world, Yao Dao grows old, and the status of the old sports car team declines, the Spurs' GDP era has basically come to an end.
But fortunately, the Spurs management is very capable in cultivating new players, especially Kawhi Leonard. This man was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft and then encountered the Holy City.
The forward players have completely grown up after several seasons of training.
In the ranking of active small forwards, Leonard is generally considered to be the third active small forward after James Durant.
What is even more valuable is that he is a rare offensive and defensive player in active service.
Coupled with Kevin Love, who was previously acquired through a trade, the Spurs quickly completed the update and iteration, entering the dual-core era of Leonard and Love from the GDP era.
The game fell into a stalemate after it started.
Leonard, who has entered the sixth season of his career, is gradually showing great potential.
No matter whether the Warriors use Iguodala or Green to match up, they can't restrain him well.
After the game started, he and Durant quickly entered a benchmarking mode, and neither could guard the other.
After the first quarter, the Spurs led 31:20.
This surprised many Spurs fans and made many Warriors fans feel incredible.
Logically speaking, the Warriors are far superior to the Spurs on paper. How can the Big Four not be able to compete with a dual-core team?
Is there any heavenly principle? Is there any royal law?
In the second quarter, Spurs substitute Simmons hit a shot to expand the lead, and Livingston also hit a mid-range shot to stabilize the Warriors' position.
But as Leonard played Durant in isolation under the basket and caused a foul with continuous fake moves, and then hit a floating shot in the left corner, the Spurs led 40:25.
After returning from the timeout, even though the Warriors played three consecutive combinations to narrow the point difference, even though Curry hit two three-pointers, even though Durant broke through and dunked...
But the Spurs were in such a good state that with divine help, Manu Ginobili hit a three-pointer to help the Spurs expand their lead again.
After halftime, the Spurs led 63:46 by 17 points!
The fans on the hotline were already in a frenzy. Before this game started, no one expected that the Spurs would have a favorable wind throughout the game.
Didn’t we agree that the Warriors are galactic battleships?
Didn’t we agree to announce the championship in advance?
Why, after all the boasting all summer, it really fell apart when it came to actual combat?!
The addition of Durant has certainly catapulted the Warriors to first place in the league in terms of strength in the new season. Even the defending champion Dynasty Trail Blazers, in the eyes of the media and fans, cannot compare to the Warriors' Big Four in terms of overall strength.
As a commercial league, the NBA predicts the ending before the new season even starts, which is obviously not conducive to the normal operation of the league.
The Warriors formed a four-star lineup. Although there was no behind-the-scenes manipulation, it made fans of other teams very unhappy.
From the top of the league to the fans below, they all dislike the Warriors in the new season.
As a result, the Warriors unexpectedly became the ultimate villain of the 2016-17 season and became the target of criticism by everyone.
In the opening game of the regular season, the Warriors performed unexpectedly and made countless people climax. Seeing them being beaten so hard by the Spurs also made many stars watching the show secretly at home express their joy.
However, Wang Zelin, Lillard, and Jokic are relatively calm. They have played with the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals for two years and know that this team will not be defeated so easily.
The third quarter, in particular, has always been the Warriors' strength.
Sure enough, entering the second half, Love's touch dropped, and he missed consecutive low back shots, and was counterattacked by the Warriors.
The Warriors played their best offensive wave in the third quarter and soon brought the score to single digits.
However, the Spurs are not soft persimmons. Leonard began to show great potential at critical moments.
He first successfully defended Durant alone, then attacked Thompson successfully, and then stole Green's pass and dunked...
After a wave of superb performances, Leonard transformed into an away silencer, causing the entire Oracle Arena to fall silent for an instant.
All the Warriors fans at the scene were dumbfounded!
In a VIP box at Oracle Arena, Spurs owner Holt was smiling from ear to ear.
In the past two seasons, everyone's eyes have been on the Trail Blazers and Warriors, but they have not noticed the quiet rise of Leonard on the banks of the Holy City.
Leonard's strong rise has allowed San Antonio fans to gradually get over the shadow of losing Duncan.
In the new season, before Leonard, who has entered his peak period, leads the team, the Spurs will become a new force in the Western Conference!
With Leonard scoring consecutive points to help the Spurs stabilize their position, the Warriors' third-quarter run came to an abrupt end.
After three quarters, the score between the two sides was 97:77, and the Warriors were still 20 points behind.
Seeing that the 73-win team he selected was about to lose, he was able to challenge at critical moments. Three people under the basket double-teamed and scored the ball, causing Love's defensive foul.
A tough 2 1 tie!
Turning around, Leonard was not to be outdone. He hit a negative-angle throw in the fast break, which also caused a foul. He stepped to the free throw line and made an extra free throw.
After the first half of the final quarter, the Spurs led 110:82.
As a last resort, Cole could only send out his trump card-five small lineups.
In the next few rounds, the Warriors narrowed the point difference slightly, and it seemed that the hope of overtaking was just around the corner.
But at this time, the Spurs generals had already shown confidence. Two veterans, Ginobili and Parker, hit consecutive three-pointers, and the point difference was once again widened to 20 points.
In the last two minutes, both sides gradually replaced their main players, and the game entered garbage time.
In the end, the Spurs defeated the Warriors 129:100 away from home and won the opening game of the new season.
…
Portland.
Rose Garden Arena.
"The Warriors lost? The Warriors really lost!"
Looking at the big score on the screen, Jokic was stunned for a moment, and his tone was quite unfirm.
"Um!"
Lillard replied coldly, but those fiery eyes revealed his inner unrest at the moment.
Again, when Durant made the most difficult decision, basketball fans all over the world already thought that the new NBA season had come to an end early.
But what I never expected was that in the first game of the new regular season, the four-star Warriors suffered a humiliating defeat and were defeated by the visiting Spurs by 29 points!
This result shocked countless people.
In addition, after this battle, many teams were no longer so desperate and less afraid of the Warriors Galaxy who had just formed the Big Four, rekindling their confidence in competing for the championship.
The four-star Warriors team doesn't seem to be as strong as the media says.
