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Saturday 1 June 2019

North of border, Warriors enter new territory: 1-0 deficit

By TIM REYNOLDS The Warriors responded
AP Basketball Writer with a blowout win in Game
TORONTO (AP) — Steve Kerr 2 and went on to prevail in
has seen a little of almost seven games.
everything during his wildly “You never lose that expe-
successful five-year run as rience,” Warriors forward
coach of the Golden State Draymond Green said.
Warriors. “You can always look back
This, however, is something on it and it’s more about
new. how you felt, what was
For the first time, Kerr and your mindset then. But it’s
the Warriors are staring at a impossible to be the same
1-0 deficit in the NBA Finals. because it’s completely dif-
They’ve trailed in series be- ferent teams. And although
fore, faced plenty of ad- some of us may have that
verse moments along the experience, others on our
way, but this is the newest team have not had that
challenge for a franchise experience.”
trying to join the short list of It bears noting that the
clubs that have won three Raptors know a 1-0 series
consecutive champion- lead doesn’t mean much.
ships. Orlando had one of those
“The experience helps,” against Toronto in the
Kerr said Friday, a day after first round, and lost in five
the Toronto Raptors struck games.
first. “Winning multiple Milwaukee had one of
championships helps be- those against Toronto in the
cause you have seen it all. Eastern Conference finals
There’s also just the knowl- — 2-0, actually — and lost
edge that you’ve been in six games.
here before. You’ve been Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) scores as Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus “We’ve tried to (have) a
down. We have been up Cousins (0) and guard Shaun Livingston, right, defend during the second half of Game 1 of conscious thought process
3-1 and lost a series. We basketball s NBA Finals, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Toronto. of not really caring what
have been down 3-1 and Associated Press the score of the series is,”
won a series. Everything in Game 2 is an opportunity as vulnerable as they have not losing the series,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse
between. So nothing is go- for us to right the wrongs seemed to be this year. In Kerr, tongue firmly planted said. “I think we know that
ing to catch these guys off- and get a big win and go the 14 series this year that in cheek. “This stuff is what the games are really hard.
guard.” back home.” preceded the NBA Finals, it is. You lose a game, you We know that after a win,
That’s his hope, anyway. No one needs to explain to six Game 1 winners wound come back and you try to the team that gets beat
There was a clear air of con- the Warriors that a win on up losing their series. That’s win.” Kerr’s stance is clear: gets really determined.
fidence from the Warriors Sunday completely shifts never happened before in A simpler approach — They try to fix things. They
even in the very first mo- the narrative. this format. study film, find ways to get mostly play a lot harder
ments after the loss Thurs- And even though the axi- In the 2010s, Game 1 win- better, apply them Sun- and more physical and all
day night. They knew they om has always been that ners have gone on to lose day — is best. On the other those kind of things.”
didn’t play particularly well, Game 1 winners usually go a series 31% of the time. In hand, Golden State hadn’t The challenge for his team
and lost by only nine. They on to win the series — and the 2000s, it was 25%; in the lost a Game 1 this season. is to do the same. That pro-
trailed most of the way, yet that is still the case — it 1990s, 15%. Or the season before that. cess started with a long film
still were within striking dis- seems that a 1-0 deficit isn’t “As soon as you lose a Or the season before that. session Friday, and there
tance plenty of times. They as daunting to teams as it game, it will be on the The last time the Warriors was much to clean up.
seemed far from rattled. once might have been. crawl that now we only woke up and were down “There was plenty on there
“No matter what, our sights Since the league went to have a 19.7% chance of 1-0 in a series was the West- that we need to do better
were coming in that it’s a the 16-team format for the winning the series. Then ern Conference finals in if we want to win another
long series,” Warriors star 1984 postseason, Game 1 if we win (Sunday) we’ll 2016 — against Kevin Du- game in this series,” Nurse
Stephen Curry said. “And winners have never been have a 42.7% chance of rant and Oklahoma City. said.q