Table of Content
- The (In?)-significance of home court in the NBA Playoffs
- Curry lights up Celtics, Warriors even Finals at 2-2
- Western Conference Semifinals
- From doubters to champs: What's next for Warriors
- Chasing History: Warriors bounce back in Game 2
- Film Room: Celtics clamp down on Curry in Game 5 loss
- post All-Star break storylines: Should Stephen Curry return?
The Celtics , Washington Bullets and Cavaliers are the only teams to ever win a Finals Game 7 on the road. This season, teams from the East saw action in 42 playoff games – but the “Road” team was able to “steal” precisely half of them. Overall, teams playing at home were (.551) during the 2019 post-season. In the 2018 NBA Playoffs, as Brad Stevens’s young pups were elevating all those pesky expectations that led to this season’s disappointment, Eastern Conference teams participated in 45 of the exactly 82 contests. Of those 45 games, the “Home” team emerged victorious 31 times, a near 70% rate of success.
This was Lillard's second series-winning 3-pointer; his first came against Houston in 2014. He is the only player besides Michael Jordan to hit two series-winning field goals. This was also the last Thunder game to feature both Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Without Thompson and Stephen Curry for most of the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season, the Warriors finished with a conference-worst 15–50 record, and did not qualify for the Orlando bubble in the summer. In the 72-game 2020–21 season, they finished eighth in the conference with 39 wins and qualified for the play-in tournament, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies in the first and second phases, respectively.
The (In?)-significance of home court in the NBA Playoffs
Incredible scoring runs like that from the Warriors are often fueled by the hot shooting of Thompson and Curry , but this one was far more balanced. Although you already have an existing idea of the skills and performance of your favorite team, you can never predict what will happen on the court. Even if you just tuned in to the basketball industry a few days ago, not knowing about Klay Thompson would be impossible. He is a top-tier player known for his excellent shooting and playmaking abilities.... We have written a comprehensive article on how do the NBA playoffs work here.
Portland clinched #3 seed over Houston based on 2–1 head-to-head record. Brooklyn clinched #6 seed over Orlando based on 2–1 head-to-head record. The Toronto Raptors advanced on to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. All of the top seeds won the first round for the first time since 2008. In a big moment, with the Warriors needing a big play to get back into the game -- and the Finals -- with Drake in his face and the guy he'd called out in his sights, Draymond Green did not combust.
Curry lights up Celtics, Warriors even Finals at 2-2
CBS Sports has it that the Toronto Raptors brutally exploited the break of bad luck on part of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 that left them short of some of their best players. Klay Thompson could not bounce back from his bad landing last time, and was dressed in street clothes on the Warriors bench with Kevin Durant, easily the worst possible loss that their team could suffer at this critical juncture. That could explain Toronto’s victory with their first double-digit final-score lead in this series. Of the 19 Game 7s in Finals history, the home team came out on top 15 times (78.9%).
Some may deny the existence of the home court advantage, but the numbers do not back up that claim. Even back in 1950, home teams have won 74% of the time, and in the past years, that rate stayed at the low to high 60s. That is clear evidence that home court advantage in the regular season as well as in the playoffs does exist. The Celtics, coming off a Game 7 win against the Heat in Miami, were in the regular season on the road. They'll be looking to claim home court early with a win in San Francisco in the first two games of the series.
Western Conference Semifinals
Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals, traveled with the team to Toronto, but remained sidelined. Toronto swept the two regular-season matchups against Golden State, but it is a different feeling with an NBA title on the line. The Warriors have more championship experience than any team in the NBA. The Raptors are making their first NBA finals appearance but do have experience on their team thanks to Kawhi Leonard.
Draymond Green admitted that the Warriors have had some unusual letdowns at home this season.
Golden State Warriors
And if it hadn’t been for a critical catch from Shaun Livingston with 10 seconds left — one Kawhi Leonard nearly intercepted after Curry threw a dangerous pass to escape a trap — we easily could have been looking at a tie game. Livingston secured the ball, surprising Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, who was headed the other way in anticipation of a fastbreak. The Warriors want their three-peat, while the Raptors mean to maximize their first Finals participation. Fifty-seven of the 74 teams that began the series at home won Game 1, good for a 77% win rate. Excluding the Orlando bubble, 53 of the 74 teams with home-court advantage in the NBA Finals went on to win the championship. Hoops Addict was created to help basketball fans of all ages learn more about the sport and find the best basketball gear to improve their ability to hoop.
The Cleveland Cavaliers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, largely due to the departure of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, the Lakers missed the playoffs for the sixth year in a row despite the addition of James. This was also the first NBA Playoffs to not feature James since 2005. The Boston Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, marking the 43rd straight year a sweep occurred in the NBA playoffs. The Orlando Magic made the playoffs for the first time since 2012, breaking the longest Eastern Conference playoff appearance drought to date.
In the 1955 NBA Finals, the Syracuse Nationals defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, under the direction of a man named Charlie Eckman who’d been hired from the ranks of the league’s game officials. Third, it’s the psychological advantage that home teams have because four out of every five guys are rooting for you. For example, let’s say the Lakers and the Spurs have the same record. However, the Spurs have won the Midwest Division while the Lakers are not the Pacific Division leaders.
Thompson practiced earlier in the day but did not warm up for the game. Kerr had said that the Warriors were not going to play him if there was risk of further damage. The Bucks were 33-8 in Milwaukee this season, while the Raptors went 32-9 in Toronto.
TNT primarily aired games on Saturday through Wednesday, while ESPN on Friday and Saturday. For Thursday games, TNT had them in the first round and ESPN in the second round. ABC then aired selected first and second round games on Friday through Sunday . NBA TV also televised selected games in the first round on Tuesday through Thursday. Also in the first round, regional sports networks affiliated with the teams could also broadcast the games, except for weekend games televised on ABC. The Western Conference Finals were televised on ESPN, while TNT televised the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, in the 2021–22 season, the Raptors resumed playing home games in Toronto and ended with 48 wins; however, they lost in the opening round to the Philadelphia 76ers. Aside from starting the series in a familiar environment, one of the big advantages to having home court is hosting a potential Game 7 if the series goes the distance. The Warriors are still the favorites to win the NBA championship despite going on the road for the first two games of the NBA finals. It was one of the most complete team efforts by the Raptors during the playoffs, with balanced scoring across the board. Team superstar Kawhi Leonard finished with 23 points and eight rebounds while Marc Gasol scored 20 points, but it was Pascal Siakam who stole the show for Toronto.
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