NBA Playoffs: This stat is the WORST NIGHTMARE for Steph Curry led Golden State Warriors’ playoff hopes
The Warriors are facing a 2-0 deficit in the first round of the playoffs against the Kings. How bad is this situation for the defending champions?
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Warriors' Stephen Curry (Via Twitter)
The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of elimination. The defending NBA champions have lost the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings, a team that made the playoffs after 17 years. The Warriors now face a must-win situation in Game 3 at home, or else they will be in danger of becoming the first defending champion to get swept in the first round.
The Warriors have been here before. They have trailed 0-2 in a playoff series four times in their history, but only once as the defending champions. That was in 2007, when they were the Cinderella story of the league, upsetting the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round as the eighth seed. But their fairy tale ended in the second round, when they lost to the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz in five games.
The Warriors are also in rare company as the fifth defending champion to fall behind 0-2 in the first round. The previous four teams that did so were the 1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors, the 1968-69 Boston Celtics, the 1983-84 Philadelphia 76ers, and the 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks. None of them came back to win the series. In fact, three of them were swept.
The Warriors will need to make some major changes and improvements if they want to extend their season. They will need to find more reliable scoring options besides Curry, play better defense and rebounding, and execute better in crunch time. They will also need to tap into their championship pedigree and home-court edge to turn things around.
Also Read: WATCH: Draymond Green KICKS AND STOMPS Domantas Sabonis in the chest, yells ‘p***y’ at Kings fans
How did the Warriors get here?
The Warriors have been hampered by injuries, a lack of depth, and poor shooting in their first two games against the Kings. Their other players have failed to step up and provide consistent support for their superstar Stephen Curry.
Curry has been sensational in both games, scoring 30 and 28 points respectively. But he has been a one-man show for the Warriors, who have shot a dismal 47% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range as a team. The Warriors have also been outworked, outmuscled, and outsmarted by the Kings.
The Kings have been fueled by their young and talented backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, who have averaged 25 and 24 points respectively in the series. They have also gotten solid performances from their veteran forward Harrison Barnes and their gritty center Domantas Sabonis, who have provided stability and toughness. The Kings have played with more passion, confidence, and chemistry than the Warriors, and have taken advantage of their opportunities.
The Warriors still have a shot at making history and becoming the first defending champion to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the first round. But they will need to play with more urgency, intensity, and focus than they have shown so far. Otherwise, they will join the list of teams that failed to defend their title after a stellar regular season.
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Ankush Singh
(616 Articles Published)