The Golden State Warriors made it through the NBA Western conference playoffs first round against the Denver Nuggets despite being the sixth seed and now will face the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs after winning the series 4-2.
The Warriors pulled the biggest upset in the Western conference as the sixth seed and many in the media did not give the team a chance to defeat the Nuggets, as every single ESPN.com expert picked Denver to advance over Golden State, as seen in the picture in the article. The experts likely looked at the franchise record 57 wins for the Nuggets and the amazing record at home in the Pepsi Center, where the team lost just three times all regular season. The Warriors were physical and the team took a 3-1 lead at one point and also won a game away from home in Denver.
Stephen Curry was fantastic for the series despite dealing with an ankle injury and head coach Mark Jackson was upset later on in the series when he felt the Nuggets were deliberately going after him while he was injured. The Warriors also benefited from the surprise return of David Lee from an injury in Game 6 and overcame some poor shooting later in the series. The Nuggets were one of the most impressive teams this season and now will head home after the first round yet again.
The Warriors will have to play on the road again against the Spurs, who have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season at home. The Spurs easily defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in four games for a sweep and will be looking for a similar result against the Nuggets. Tony Parker is leading the team in scoring during the playoffs, while Tim Duncan is not playing like the veteran he is but more like the MVP of years ago. Curry is averaging over 20 points per game and Andrew Bogut has been solid for the Warriors while making up for the absence of Lee.
Curry has been the key for the Warriors all series and he has at least 29 points in three of the past four games, including 31 points in the 115-101 victory. Curry scored 29 points and 30 points in the previous two games and Golden State won Game 6 92-88 after 22 points from Curry. In Game 5 Curry had 15 points and eight assists with four rebounds and in the first four games he was excellent from long range, hitting 18 shots from beyond the arc.
The two teams will be physical and while many will count out the Warriors, the same thing happened in the first round and now the San Antonio Spurs will have the chance to show their dominance in the west as they try to advance to the conference finals.