The Golden State Warriors dropped Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, but given that the team has won three of the past four championships, Klay Thompson isn’t ready to hit the panic button.
“Our goal was to get one, and it’s still on the table for us,” Thompson told reporters after the 118-109 loss. “I know we’ll respond like the champions we are.”
Not only have the Warriors won three titles in four seasons, but they have now been to a total of five consecutive Finals. In other words, they have been put in a variety of scenarios through the years and almost always found a way to respond.
What makes this unfamiliar territory, though, is the fact that this is the first time in the last five Finals that Golden State has dropped the opening game of the series. Then again, it also marks the first time during the historic run that Steve Kerr’s squad has not held home-court advantage in the championship round.
Tonight was the Warriors first loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals under Steve Kerr (first Game 1 on the road). It also snaps an NBA record 12 consecutive series opening wins for Golden State.
This is the 5th series the Warriors have trailed under Kerr…they won the previous 4.
With the first two games of each series having been played at Oracle Arena against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State entered this year’s Finals having gone 7-1 in Games 1 and 2. The Warriors have trailed in the Finals only once since 2015, when the Cavs rallied from 3-1 down in 2016 to win Game 7 and the series.
As Basketball Reference noted, a number of trends continued with Thursday night’s result:
That’s
-Six straight Game 1 wins for the home team in the #NBAFinals
-14 out of 15 Game 1 Ws for the home team in the #NBAFinals
-The first G1 loss for the #Warriors since the 2016 WCF & second in the Kerr era
Thompson acknowledged that the fact the Warriors were unfamiliar with the Raptors may have contributed to the loss, though he refused to use that as a cop-out.
“We’re not very familiar with this team, but that’s no excuse,” Thompson said.
Golden State entered the series having last played on May 20. That extended break gave a banged-up squad a chance to recuperate, but it also may have led to some rust. The Warriors appeared to eventually find some rhythm during the middle part of the game, even if they weren’t able to pull out the victory.
Thompson and Co. will now have a few days to try to make adjustments, as Game 2 will be played on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
