If you think it feels strange to see the Warriors trailing 1-0 in a playoff series, you’re not wrong. It’s a rare occurrence for the Dubs since Steve Kerr took over as coach for the 2014-15 season.
Thursday night’s fourth-quarter collapse sent Golden State to a 120-108 defeat against the Boston Celtics. With the loss, the Warriors moved to 21-3 all-time in playoff Game 1s under Kerr.
The only other two Game 1 defeats? They came in the 2016 Western Conference Finals and the 2019 NBA Finals.
The Warriors eventually dug out of a 3-1 hole to take the 2016 Western Conference Finals against the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder, but lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games in 2019.
“I remember just putting it past us,” Thompson said of the two previous Game 1 losses. “There's no reason to hold onto a loss when you have another game so soon. I remember watching film and realizing, there's many things we can do better, and applying those strategies. So it's pretty simple, and I just know we'll be better Game 2. I'll be better.”
How did the Warriors fare in the respective Game 2s after a loss?
In 2016, the Warriors responded by blowing out the Thunder by 27 points, as Steph dropped 28 and seven Dubs scored in double digits. In 2019, Golden State used a strong third quarter to eke out a 5-point win against the Raptors in Game 2.
So, Golden State has responded when put in an 0-1 hole before. Pretty remarkable to think the team has never been down 0-2 in a series in 23 tries under Kerr so far.
Overall, the Warriors have yet to lose consecutive games this postseason, going 4-0 in contests after losses. Under Kerr, Golden State is 22-8 in the playoffs in games following a loss all-time.
Historically, the team that wins Game 1 of the NBA Finals has won 70.7 percent of the time (53-22). Clearly, Golden State wants to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole, as teams have gone 31-5 (.861 win percentage) in the NBA Finals after claiming the first two games.
Numbers don’t really mean much once the ball is tipped up, but history indicates that the Warriors will respond well on Sunday night in Game 2 at Chase Center, where they now hold a 9-1 record this postseason.
“Obviously you go into Game 2 with more of a sense of desperation,” Kerr said. “But it's a seven-game series for a reason. I think you give Boston credit. They came in and earned the win. Played a great fourth quarter. We'll come in, watch the film tomorrow and see where we can get better, and you know, it's one game. So you move on to the next one.”
