Residence-court benefit? It doesn’t exist to date within the NBA convention semifinals — the place visiting groups mixed to go 4-0 in Sport 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 collection, 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 Sport 1 of their matchup Tuesday.
“It’s an incredible group of men,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned after Golden State’s win, one which got here with Stephen Curry out for a lot of the sport with a strained hamstring.
Thus far in these playoffs, highway groups have gone 23-25. That’s on tempo to be the third-best total highway playoff file in NBA postseason historical past, not counting the bubble season of 2020 when no person technically was at dwelling.
Highway 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 through the 2020 playoffs, when groups had dwelling and highway designations, however video games had been on impartial flooring inside Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.)
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However 4-0 has by no means occurred, till now.
“I at all times say a playoff collection doesn’t begin till somebody wins a highway sport,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton mentioned. “Properly, we’ve received two.”
That’s true: Indiana doubled down on its highway success by additionally taking Sport 2 at Cleveland on Tuesday evening, simply earlier than Golden State misplaced Stephen Curry early however received Sport 1 at Minnesota.
And all that led to much more highway historical past: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday grew to become the primary three-day stretch in NBA playoff historical past the place visiting groups mixed to go at the very least 6-0. That run began Sunday with Indiana’s Sport 1 win at Cleveland, then Golden State’s Sport 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 received once more on Tuesday.
“This workforce has fought all 12 months,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned. “It’s been a fairly good highway workforce.”
They’re not alone. Not this 12 months, anyway, and this development didn’t begin in these playoffs. Residence groups received 54% of video games within the common season, the fourth time the leaguewide dwelling profitable share has dipped that low within the final 5 years.