Written by Tim Bontemps at Washington Post.com
Before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night, San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich was asked how he expected his team to play without star Kawhi Leonard after a disappointing performance in Game 2.
“I hired some soothsayers, I channeled Rasputin, and all sorts of things,” Popovich joked, “so I think we’re ready to go.”
Popovich would’ve been better off finding someone who could conjure up prime versions of Tim Duncan, David Robinson and George Gervin to have at his disposal instead.
Popovich’s team acquitted itself well for most of three quarters Saturday night, but it may take that kind of star power to beat these Golden State Warriors Warriors with Leonard remaining out due to a sprained left ankle. Instead, the Warriors pulled away to claim a 120-108 victory and a commanding 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series. The contest served up another reminder – with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in attendance – of just how underwhelming these NBA playoffs have been.
“We knew we were going to be able to bounce back, at least emotionally, today and play a better game,” Manu Ginobili said.
“The fact is, it’s just too tough.”
As expected, the Spurs played much better in this one than they did in Game 2, when they trailed by as many as 41 points and never led as the Warriors hammered them from the first minute to the last in embarrassing fashion. Even a vintage performance from Ginobili, the aging icon who had 21 points in 18 minutes off the bench, wasn’t enough to offset the loss of Leonard, perhaps the best two-way player in the league.
No one enjoyed Leonard’s absence more than Kevin Durant, who cruised to 33 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes, making 11 of his 19 field goal attempts and looking capable of getting any shot he wanted. It was Durant who scored eight points during a 12-0 Golden State run late in the second quarter with the game tied at 49 to help the Warriors go into halftime with a 64-55 lead.
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