Dwelling-court benefit? It doesn’t exist thus far within the NBA convention semifinals — the place visiting groups mixed to go 4-0 in Recreation 1s, the primary time that has occurred throughout this spherical within the league’s playoff historical past.
Indiana beat top-seeded Cleveland on Sunday within the opener of that East sequence, New York beat defending champion Boston and Denver beat West top-seeded Oklahoma Metropolis of their respective openers Monday, and Golden State topped Minnesota in Recreation 1 of their matchup Tuesday.
“It is an incredible group of men,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated after Golden State’s win, one which got here with Stephen Curry out for a lot of the sport with a strained hamstring.
To this point in these playoffs, highway groups have gone 23-25. That is on tempo to be the third-best total highway playoff report in NBA post-season historical past, not counting the bubble season of 2020 when no person technically was at residence.
Street groups had gone 3-1 within the Spherical 2 openers of the NBA playoffs on three different events — 2023, 2015 and 2011 — within the present playoff format, which dates to 1984. (It additionally occurred contained in the bubble in the course of the 2020 playoffs, when groups had residence and highway designations, however video games had been on impartial flooring inside Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)
However 4-0 has by no means occurred, till now.
“I all the time say a playoff sequence doesn’t begin till somebody wins a highway recreation,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton stated. “Effectively, we’ve gained two.”
That’s true: Indiana doubled down on its highway success by additionally taking Recreation 2 at Cleveland on Tuesday evening, simply earlier than Golden State misplaced Curry early however gained Recreation 1 at Minnesota.
And all that led to much more highway historical past: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday turned the primary three-day stretch in NBA playoff historical past the place visiting groups mixed to go no less than 6-0. That run began Sunday with Indiana’s Recreation 1 win at Cleveland, then Golden State’s Recreation 7 highway win at Houston within the conclusion of the primary spherical of the playoffs.
The wins by New York and Denver had been Monday, then Indiana and Golden State gained once more on Tuesday.
“This crew has fought all 12 months,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau stated. “It’s been a fairly good highway crew.”
They’re not alone. Not this 12 months, anyway, and this pattern did not begin in these playoffs. Dwelling groups gained 54% of video games within the common season, the fourth time the leaguewide residence profitable share has dipped that low within the final 5 years.
