The Golden State Warriors won their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets because they were able to grab a road win in Game 2. Can they do the same thing in this series?
Western Conference Semifinals, Game 2:
Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs – Wednesday, May 8
Sports betting line:
Why Golden State Will Win
A pay per head bookie service might give the Warriors better odds in this game than Game 1, because in Game 1, the Spurs were physically fresh after a full week of rest, while Golden State was pushed hard by the Denver Nuggets and faced the mental challenge of having to regain its focus for a different opponent in an even more daunting series. Now that the Warriors have gotten their feet wet in this series, they might feel that they have a clear plan of attack and a better sense of what they need to do on the floor. Stylistically, San Antonio is a very different team from the Denver squad the Warriors ushered out of the playoffs. The Spurs can run when they find an opportunity, but they are much more comfortable playing halfcourt basketball than the Nuggets are. A key point of differentiation between San Antonio and Denver is that the Spurs have a steady, dependable and experienced big man in the person of Tim Duncan, whereas the Nuggets couldn’t find a consistent source of offensive production in the low post. The matchup is a tough one for Golden State, but playing Game 1 opened the eyes of the Warriors and emphasized the need for them to spread the floor and get their wing shooters in good positions on the court. Golden State is highly skilled, and the Warriors might be able to deploy their personnel in the right ways in Game 2.
Why San Antonio Will Win
When sports betting online, it is prudent to stick with a proven playoff team over a comparatively inexperienced group as the playoffs go deeper. First-round playoff series wins are one thing; Golden State knows how to pull off that feat, having beaten Dallas in the first round of its previous playoff journey in 2007. Winning in the second round of the playoffs, though, is another matter entirely, and San Antonio knows what it’s like to win at a more advanced stage of the postseason. The Spurs’ aging trio of stars – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili – knows that time is running short for them and the organization in the pursuit of another NBA championship. The Spurs are not going to be caught slacking in this series the way Denver was against Golden State. San Antonio might not shoot well at times, but it will play with the right level of energy and will not be outcoached – not with Gregg Popovich on the Spurs’ bench.
In this week’s collection of 5dimes.com reviews, you will also see that San Antonio didn’t merely beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs; many basketball betting experts felt that the Spurs looked sharper and regained a measure of the form they displayed during the regular season, before an injury to Parker hampered them in the final two months and caused them to fall behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference. If this high-grade version of the Spurs shows up in Game 2, Golden State’s presence on the floor won’t matter.
Who Will Win?
The sense here is that while Golden State might indeed make necessary adjustments in Game 2, San Antonio is so much better than the Warriors that it will be able to withstand any and all flurries by the underdog from Oakland. Take the Spurs here.
NBA Betting Pick: San Antonio
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