Down 2-0, the Golden State Warriors will still beat the Sacramento Kings
Even though the Golden State Warriors find themselves down 2-0 in the series, they will still beat the Sacramento Kings.
As the Sacramento Kings fans rose to their feet and began to cheer and celebrate a 2-0 series lead with the clock running down in Game 2, it quickly became clear that there is a good chance that the Golden State Warriors, the defending NBA Champs, could very well be dethroned in this first-round series. And for as great of a story as it would be, it’s not going to happen.
The Warriors find themselves down 2-0 in this series, a place that they have never been in their last eight years in the playoffs. In fact, the Warriors have only lost two playoff series in the last eight years – one in six games and the other in seven. This is foreign territory for Golden State. That said, they’ve faced adversity time and time again and, the majority of the time, they find a way to fight back and come out on top.
As this series between the Kings and Warriors shifts to the Bay Area for Games 3 and 4, I find a hard time believing this is not going to be knotted up at two games apiece by the time the two teams return to Sacramento for Game 5.
Why to still believe in the Golden State Warriors
Even though the Warriors lost both Games 1 and 2, there is some optimism to take away from both of those games for the team. As one of the worst road teams in the regular season, the Warriors had the opportunity to win both of the first two games.
In Game 1, with 47 seconds left, the Warriors cut the Kings’ lead to one. They got a stop and then Andrew Wiggins missed a 3-pointer that would’ve given the Warriors a two-point lead with 10 seconds left. Stephen Curry also missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve sent the game to overtime.
Again, the Warriors were right there with the Kings in Game 1.
Then in Game 2, it was more of the same. Even though the Kings did build a double-digit lead, the Warriors fought back and found themselves within reach with just a few minutes left in the game. With a little more than five minutes left, the Warriors and Kings were tied at 95. Then, with three minutes left, the Warriors were within one point of the Kings.
The Kings pulled away late but the Warriors were right there in both road games.
To think that the Warriors can’t possibly win one road game in this series is absolutely insane. And with the series shifting to the Bay Area, the Warriors will have the opportunity to hit their stride over the next two games. Let’s remember, for as bad of a team the Warriors were on the road this season, they were a really, really great home team.
The Warriors had the third-best home record in the NBA this season.
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Sacramento should be celebrating this 2-0 series lead. They should feel confident about where they are in this series. But it’s far from over. The Kings did exactly what they should’ve done. They did what they were expected to do. Now this team will get the true test of the playoffs, on the road. And we’re about to find out if they’re really up for the challenge of dethroning the defending champs.