OAKLAND, Calif. _ Joe Lacob, chest out, was at his seat before tip-off. Jay-Z and Beyonce, just to Lacob's right, arrived fashionably late but in plenty of time to witness the unveiling of this highly anticipated megateam. Forget the World Series. Most eyes in the Bay Area _ and many across the nation _ were fixated on this new, souped-up version of the Golden State Warriors.
But the script, uh, didn't go as many expected. The San Antonio Spurs, billed as opening night patsies, instead played the role of dominant predator, sucking the buzz out of the arena with slow, methodical, Gregg Popovich-ian execution.
The result: A blowout. A shocking blowout. Spurs 129, Warriors 100, a loss 22 points worse than either of the two Golden State home defeats from a season ago.
How did this happen? The zombie Spurs, who remain contenders for what feels like the 198th straight season, relentlessly exploited Golden State's biggest weaknesses. They mashed the Warriors thin interior, outplayed their reworked bench and took advantage of some sloppy play.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both missed a pair of wide open layups before the first timeout. Some jitters, it seemed. But Durant, scorching to start his Warrior debut, steadied the first quarter ship, hitting his first four shots. The Spurs only led by three with 67 seconds left in that opening quarter.
But a David Lee layup was followed by a pair of Warriors misses and a Patty Mills 3. Just eight seconds remained in the first quarter. So David West frantically took the ball out of bounds and heaved it upcourt. The outlet was picked off by Manu Ginobili, fired over to Jonathan Simmons and drained before the buzzer. Another 3. An 8-0 run in 67 seconds, quickly spiking the lead to 11, capped by that ugly turnover, which partly defined the Warriors night.
In the second quarter, the Warriors struggles only worsened. Green, who was otherwise solid (18 points, 12 rebounds) had a forgettable 12 minutes. That included an airball 3 from the wing, a frustration foul and an outlet pass off a rebound that flew 40 feet over Stephen Curry's head, the worst of Golden State's 16 turnovers, which led to 17 Spurs points.
San Antonio led by 18 points at halftime.
"We weren't energized to start the game," Steve Kerr said. "We took for granted that things would go well."
But the rebounding disadvantage crippled Golden State worse than the sloppy ball-handling. Durant and Green cleaned up seven defensive rebounds in the first seven minutes, keeping LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol off the glass with encouraging effort. But that didn't last.
San Antonio finished with an eye-popping 21 offensive rebounds, all in the final 41 minutes, bullying the Warriors into the paint, timing their jumps better and bailing out failed possessions with tip-ins. In particular, Zaza Pachulia, who had a rough debut, was burned on a few failed box-outs. He finished with only two points and three rebounds in 20 minutes. Aldridge had 26 points and 14 rebounds.
"You give a team like that, who executes well anyway, second chances, it's tough," Stephen Curry said. "That's pretty much the game right there."
The Spurs outrebounded the Warriors 55-35 and had a 26-4 advantage in second chance points. Which would normally be the most telling stat of the night. But it may not have been.
Take a look at the bench production: Spurs 54, Warriors 16.
Throughout the preseason, the Warriors reworked reserve unit flashed promise. Ian Clark performed well. Rookie Patrick McCaw showed some things. Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston still anchor it. But in Game 1 of the real thing, the results were concerning.
Jonathan Simmons, an undrafted 27-year-old second-year player _ Where do the Spurs find these guys? _ blasted Golden State for 20 points in 28 minutes off the bench. He nailed three 3s, including a pair of back-breaking buzzer beaters at the end of quarters. He made eight shots. The entire Warriors bench only made seven of their 21, missing all nine of their 3-point attempts.
So the softest spots on this loaded Warriors roster were exposed. But the strongest spots weren't spectacular either. Durant had a solid stat-line: 27 points, 10 rebounds, 11-of-18 shooting. He had a pair of nice blocks.
But Durant's primary assignment, Kawhi Leonard, was the best player on the floor. He finished with 35 points, making all 15 of his free throws. The Warriors, as a team, only took 18 and made 13.
Curry had a second quarter spurt, boosting his 26-point night, but was otherwise quiet. Klay Thompson shot 5-of-13 and only finished with 11.
Every mini Warriors run, the Spurs had a stronger answer. They led by 20 early in the third quarter, had already scored 100 early in the fourth and sent a majority of the Oracle crowd to the exits with eight minutes still left in the game.
Not the expected debut.
"It was a slap in the face," Kevin Durant said. "Woke us up a bit."
