Barber: Do Spurs really have a chance in Game 4? I’ll bite …

SAN ANTONIO

We had a day between games here Sunday, so I went fishing. Baited the ol’ hook, cast a line and angled for a single good reason the Spurs can beat the Warriors here tonight in Game 4 of the Western Conference final.

The conference finals are supposed to be must-see TV, but this series has become a cable simulcast of an AM sports talk radio show, with traffic updates twice an hour. The Warriors were favorites before it started, and they have played the Spurs like a xylophone since San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard left with an ankle injury in Game 1.

Now Golden State is looking to sweep the series and formally set its sights on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been making a similar comedy routine of the Eastern Conference final.

So come fishing with me. Maybe we can reel in an exciting forecast for Game 4!

YOU CAN’T OVERLOOK?ANY OPPONENT.

“You don’t look ahead, you don’t take a team lightly,” Warriors guard Shaun Livingston told me after practice Sunday. “The whole country expects us to win tomorrow, expects it to be over. We expect to win, but we have to go out and play like that. We can’t play like we’ve already won.”

Except the Warriors have won 11 consecutive postseason games, tying the all-time NBA record. They’re saying the right things, but there is every reason to believe tonight’s game will be No. 12.

No nibbles here. Cast that line again.

THE SPURS ARE PROUD AND WILL NOT GO QUIETLY

The Warriors and Cavs have become the NBA’s elite teams. But they are following in the footsteps of the Spurs, who have set the standards for efficiency and basketball intelligence during an amazing 20-year playoff streak under coach Gregg Popovich, a run that has included five championships.

“Because of their culture, because of their history, their DNA, their coaching staff,” Livingston said. “They get every ounce of talent out of their players. So guys perform above and beyond their standards usually. That’s why Pop’s one of the greatest. He gets his guys ready to play.”

Livingston said he has seen opponents give up in the playoffs during his well-traveled, 12-year NBA career. He has seen nothing of the kind from San Antonio. Kevin Durant said as much after Saturday’s win in Game 3.

“You know what the Spurs are about,” the former MVP observed. “You know they play 48 minutes, play it tough, play hard, execute their system. … They’re gonna bring the energy. They have a lot of pride.”

Looks like we got a bite! But wait, these Spurs, including Popovich, have spent much of their breath either (a) lamenting the injuries to their players or (b) rhapsodizing on how good the Warriors are.

As aging star Manu Ginobili said after Game 3: “For us to win, we have to play at a 10 level and they have to play at a 7.”

No, this guppy isn’t worth keeping. Throw it back and try again.

MAYBE LEONARD WILL PLAY

The Warriors thought the MVP candidate would suit up for Game 3. Some are saying they expect him to give it a crack for Game 4. Think of how dumb that would be. One of the very best players in the NBA, and Popovich is going to send him out on a bum ankle, risk a more serious injury, only to get to the point where the Spurs are down 3-1 and heading back to Oakland for Game 5?

Don’t bet it on it. Damn fish just took the worm and swam away.

PERHAPS THIS IS THE GAME ALDRIDGE BUSTS OUT

“We know how great of a player he is, we know how dominant he can be,” backup forward David West told me. “And you can’t let him bring the fight to you.”

Fans in Portland (Aldridge’s former home team) and San Antonio might be wondering when, if ever, this guy will bring the fight. Aldridge is a highly skilled big man who seems to lack the internal fire to carry a team. Popovich issued him a public challenge after a Golden State rout in Game 2. Aldridge responding by scoring 18 points in Game 3 but posting the worst plus/minus of anyone on the floor at minus-27.

That’s no trout you just hauled out of the water, it’s an old shoe.

HOW ABOUT MILLS. HE CAN GET HOT, RIGHT?

“We said it a couple times already,” acting Warriors coach Mike Brown noted Sunday. “They were 40-4 when Patty scored over 10 points in the regular season. He had a huge impact, we thought, in the Houston series.”

In this series, the Australia native and Saint Mary’s product has scored a total of 17 points in three games while shooting 20.8 percent.

Ouch. I just planted the hook in my ear while trying to cast.

UMMM … GINOBILI?

“He’s playing his tail off, man,” Durant said Sunday. “Looks great out there. He’s somebody we’re having a hard time staying in front of.”

No quibble here. Ginobili, that master craftsman of scoring, may look all of his 39 years, but he has been playing like a much younger man of late. He led the Spurs with 21 points Saturday. The problem is, Ginobili’s 16 to 25 minutes aren’t going to swing the balance of power against Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. He’s overmatched.

That’s it. I’m breaking my pole in two and throwing it in the lake. Let’s buy some fish at Costco like a true American, poach it before the game starts tonight and admit the truth. The Warriors will win this one in four games and start their preparation for the only series that really matters.

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.