Capsule and prediction for the Western Conference final series between Golden State and San Antonio that begins Sunday:
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No. 1 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (67-15, 8-0) vs. No. 2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (61-21, 8-4)
Season series: Spurs, 2-1. San Antonio ruined Kevin Durant’s first game with the Warriors with a 129-100 romp on opening night, then rolled to a 107-85 victory on March 11 when Golden State rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. The Warriors came from 22 down in the second quarter to win the finale, 110-98 on March 29 in San Antonio.
Story line: Unbeaten and mostly untested in the postseason, the Warriors are four wins from a third straight trip to the NBA Finals as they play a banged-up San Antonio team. The Spurs have already lost point guard Tony Parker for the rest of the postseason and were without All-Star Kawhi Leonard in their clinching Game 6 victory over Houston in the second round because of a left ankle injury.
Key Matchup: Leonard vs. Durant, Curry or Thompson. The Warriors have more weapons than any other team and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will have to decide which one to try to take away with his defensive ace – provided Leonard is healthy enough for the challenge.
Prediction: Warriors in 5.
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Compiled by AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney
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More AP NBA: apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
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