Playoffs 2018 West First Round: Warriors (2) vs. Spurs (7)

Numbers preview: Golden State Warriors (2) vs. San Antonio Spurs (7)

The Golden State Warriors’ road to a fourth straight Finals hasn’t been very smooth. Injuries, fatigue and complacency have all played a role in the Warriors losing nine more games than they have in any other season under head coach Steve Kerr.

It’s now time to get down to business, but the Warriors still aren’t whole. In fact, they’re still missing their most important player. Stephen Curry (MCL sprain in his left knee) isn’t expected to play in the first round, and the Warriors have yet to figure out how to win without their two-time MVP. They played 10 games against teams that finished with winning records without Curry and with their other three All-Stars, and they went 4-6 in those games.

Maybe it’s just a matter of urgency. If that’s the case, the start of the postseason and a series against the San Antonio Spurs should get them back on track.

Here are some statistical notes to get you ready for the 2-7 series in the West, with links to let you dive in and explore more. Game 1 is Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

Pace = Possessions per 48 minutes

OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions

DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions

NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions

Golden State Warriors (58-24)

Pace: 101.9 (5)

OffRtg: 112.2 (1)

DefRtg: 104.2 (9)

NetRtg: +8.0 (2)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. San Antonio: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Warriors four factors

Warriors team notes:

  1. This was the third straight season in which they set the all-time record for effective field goal percentage.
  2. Ranked in the top two in FG% in the restricted area (68%, second), on other paint shots (45%, second), from mid-range (47%, first) and in 3-point percentage (39%, first). They also led the league in free throw percentage (81.5 percent).
  3. Assisted on 69% of their field goals, the second highest rate of last 14 seasons. The highest was their rate of 71% last season. According to Second Spectrum tracking, they led the league in secondary assists for the third straight season.
  4. Ranked 28th defensively (110 points allowed per 100 possessions) in the first quarter. Ranked second defensively (102) thereafter. Were the best third quarter team in the league (plus-18.5 points per 100 possessions) for the fourth straight season.
  5. Played only 29 games that were within five points in the last five minutes. That was tied with Utah for fewest clutch games.
  6. Averaged just 23.9 drives per game, fewest in the league.

Warriors shooting

Warriors individual notes:

  1. Stephen Curry had an effective field goal percentage of 62 percent, the fifth best mark among players (and the best among non-centers) who attempted at least 500 shots. His effective field goal percentage of 69 percent in the third quarter, the best mark among players with at least 100 third-quarter field goal attempts.
  2. The Warriors scored 120.4 points per 100 possessions and outscored their opponents by 14.7 points per 100 with Curry on the floor. Those were the highest marks for on-court OffRtg and on-court NetRtg (by pretty wide margins) among players who averaged at least 15 minutes in 40 or more games. The Warriors scored only 106.1 points per 100 possessions with Curry off the floor. His on-off-court OffRtg differential of 14.3 was, by far, the largest among players who played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.
  3. Kevin Durant shot 49 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, the second best mark among 101 players who attempted at least 200. Draymond Green shot 31 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, the worst mark among those same 101 players.
  4. Durant and Klay Thompson ranked third and sixth, respectively, in mid-range field goal percentage among players with at least 200 mid-range attempts.
  5. Green was one of three players who passed the ball at least 50 percent of the time on 100 or more post-ups.
  6. Nick Young recorded assists on just 6.1 percent of his possessions, the third lowest rate among players who averaged at least 15 minutes in 40 or more games. Green (36 percent) had the third highest rate.

San Antonio Spurs (47-35)

Pace: 97.2 (29)

OffRtg: 105.5 (17)

DefRtg: 102.4 (4)

NetRtg: +3.1 (7)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. Golden State: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Spurs four factors

Spurs team notes:

Spurs shooting

Spurs individual notes:

Regular season matchup

Season series: Warriors won 3-1 (2-0 at home)

Nov. 2 @ San Antonio – Warriors 112, Spurs 92

Feb. 10 @ Golden State – Warriors 122, Spurs 105

Mar. 8 @ Golden State – Warriors 110, Spurs 107

Mar. 19 @ San Antonio – Spurs 89, Warriors 75

Pace: 99.7 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes

Golden State OffRtg: 106.7 (9th vs. San Antonio)

San Antonio OffRtg: 97.1 (23rd vs. Golden State)

Individual matchups: Golden State offense vs. San Antonio defense | San Antonio offense vs. Golden State defense

Matchup notes:

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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