PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's NBA Monday Bookie Crusher
(NBA) Golden State vs. San Antonio,
Total: 217.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 217.00 | -110.00 Over
Result: Loss
It sure looks like the Warriors are going to sweep the Spurs in these Western Conference Finals. But let's concentrate on the total instead.
The total has gone over each of the first three games. The result is we now have the highest over/under of the series for this Game 4. Zigging and zagging in the NBA playoffs doesn't just pertain to the side. It also applies to the total.
This is the time now to go under.
The Warriors are shooting 49 percent from the floor during the series. They made 49 percent of their field goals during the regular season, too. But the Warriors also have made 42.5 percent of their 3-point shots against the Spurs. That is high for them as they averaged 38.3 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season.
The Spurs are a premier defensive team. During the regular season, they gave up the second-fewest points per game at 98.1, ranked fourth in defensive field goal percentage at 44.3 and were fifth in 3-point defense at 34.4 percent. So the Warriors' shooting percentage is due to come down.
Yes, Kawhi Leonard was important to the Spurs' defense. But his lost contributions are felt far more on the offensive end. The Spurs are minus Leonard, Tony Parker and probably David Lee, who suffered a knee injury in Game 3 and is doubtful. That's a lot of lost offense.
Really the only way for the Spurs to hang with the high-flying, loaded Warriors is to slow the pace down. There's no way their bigs, role players and youngsters - which now comprise the makeup of the team - can keep up with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors are an underrated defensive team, too. They ranked No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage and 3-point defense during the regular season.
Golden State isn't going to lose its intensity especially after what happened to the Cavaliers on Sunday against the Celtics. This is a close-out game for the Warriors. But acting coach Mike Brown is a former assistant to Gregg Popovich. He's not going to do anything to embarrass his former mentor like run up a score. Popovich, for his part, isn't going to have his team act like jerks by committing a lot of needless fouls at the end.
The total has gone over each of the first three games. The result is we now have the highest over/under of the series for this Game 4. Zigging and zagging in the NBA playoffs doesn't just pertain to the side. It also applies to the total.
This is the time now to go under.
The Warriors are shooting 49 percent from the floor during the series. They made 49 percent of their field goals during the regular season, too. But the Warriors also have made 42.5 percent of their 3-point shots against the Spurs. That is high for them as they averaged 38.3 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season.
The Spurs are a premier defensive team. During the regular season, they gave up the second-fewest points per game at 98.1, ranked fourth in defensive field goal percentage at 44.3 and were fifth in 3-point defense at 34.4 percent. So the Warriors' shooting percentage is due to come down.
Yes, Kawhi Leonard was important to the Spurs' defense. But his lost contributions are felt far more on the offensive end. The Spurs are minus Leonard, Tony Parker and probably David Lee, who suffered a knee injury in Game 3 and is doubtful. That's a lot of lost offense.
Really the only way for the Spurs to hang with the high-flying, loaded Warriors is to slow the pace down. There's no way their bigs, role players and youngsters - which now comprise the makeup of the team - can keep up with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors are an underrated defensive team, too. They ranked No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage and 3-point defense during the regular season.
Golden State isn't going to lose its intensity especially after what happened to the Cavaliers on Sunday against the Celtics. This is a close-out game for the Warriors. But acting coach Mike Brown is a former assistant to Gregg Popovich. He's not going to do anything to embarrass his former mentor like run up a score. Popovich, for his part, isn't going to have his team act like jerks by committing a lot of needless fouls at the end.
