Any team would obviously love to win Game 1 of a playoff series. But for the Warriors, winning Game 1 spells especially bad news for their opponents.
The Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 to open up the second-round series on Sunday at FedExForum. And with that, their streak of 12 straight wins in best-of-seven playoff series after winning Game 1 is on the line.
That streak is the second-longest active streak in the NBA behind the Los Angeles Lakers (24 straight) and fourth longest in NBA history. It dates back to the first round of the 2016-17 playoffs and would stretch all the way back to the 2014-15 postseason if it were not for Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
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SIGN UP HERE The Warriors have a history of getting off to strong starts in playoff series. They’ve done it at home and on the road, in first-round series and in the NBA Finals.
Related: Twitter reacts to wild finish in Warriors-Grizzlies Game 1
They opened this postseason with a Game 1 win in the first round against the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center, and have now followed it up with a clutch road victory to steal home-court advantage from the Grizzlies in the second round.
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Now, the Warriors can play Game 2 on Tuesday knowing that the worst they can do is come back to Chase Center with the series even at a game apiece. And if they return home with a 2-0 lead, that playoff streak would be in good shape of extending to 13 series in a row.