SAN ANTONIO _ This Warriors' postseason stampede through the Western Conference has been defined by dominance, not drama.
The finale stuck to that script Monday night. The Warriors jumped up early on the wounded Spurs, squashed every mini rally and ran away with an unthreatened 129-115 win to vanquish another overwhelmed opponent, completing a third straight sweep to become the first team in NBA history to start the postseason 12-0.
This is their third straight Western Conference crown and, by far, their easiest path of the three. Ten of the Warriors' 12 wins came by double-digits. They won by an average of 16.3 per game. They haven't lost a game since mid-February when all their stars were healthy and active.
The NBA Finals begin on June 1 in Oracle against Cleveland or, much less likely, Boston. Loads of drama and adversity may be awaiting then. But very little stood in their path to this moment.
After mashing the Blazers and Jazz the first two rounds, the Warriors faced their first and only real Western Conference scare in Game 1 of Round 3. The Spurs led by 25 at one point in Oracle. But Kawhi Leonard's third quarter ankle sprain changed the game and series. The Warriors zapped themselves awake, came back to win that day and then whacked a scarred Spurs team by 36, 12 and 14 the last three games.
In the finale, the Warriors separated early, just as they done the previous two series. Steph Curry came out hyper aggressive, slithering through the lane for four layups in the first five minutes. Klay Thompson remained way off _ missing his first six shots _ but the Warriors often only need two of their elite scorers to be on for domination _ and Kevin Durant was.
Durant hit six of his first seven shots, combining with Curry for eight layups in the first 16 minutes. The Warriors eased out to a 31-19 first quarter lead, bumping them up to a plus-57 in Game 4 first quarters this postseason. In the closeout in Portland, they blasted off to a 45-22 first quarter. In the closeout in Salt Lake City, they popped the Jazz for a 39-17 first quarter.
On Monday, that lead sat in double-digits almost the entirety of the night, as the Warriors went 18-of-21 in the paint in the first half.
There were a few moments of life from the Spurs and their crowd, who were celebrating the likely end to Manu Ginobili's brilliant career. In the third quarter, the Spurs cut it to 11 and the crowd rose to life.
But Durant set up Curry for a wing 3, which jacked the lead back to 14. A few possessions later, after they'd sliced it briefly back to 10, Durant attacked in the pick-and-roll and nailed an unguardable pull-back 14-footer.
Which was the story of the series. The Spurs, at such a talent disadvantage, clawed and fought to give themselves even a sliver of hope and then the Warriors' stars, with such scoring ease, put their foot back on the gas pedal and spurted away.
Right after the Durant jumper, Draymond Green hit a 3 to bump the lead to 15, Curry nailed a deep contested wing 3 in front of a frustrated Gregg Popovich and then forced his way to the line for two free throws. The lead, 10 just a couple minutes earlier, was back to 20 and any unrealistic comeback hopes had been dashed, thanks mostly to Durant and Curry.
Curry finished the night with 36 points on 14-of-24 shooting. Durant closed with 29 points on 10-of-13. Combined, they had a ridiculous 65 on 39 shots, before taking an early rest.
After a fourth quarter that was more about the Manu send-off than the actual game, history was officially made. The Warriors are the first team to begin the postseason with 12 straight wins. But of course, just like last season, history won't feel as sweet without a title to cap it off.
