Subscribe
Follow Us
Winning the first game of a seven-game series might be important, but it does not necessarily mean that the odds of advancing to the next round are heavily in favor of the team that comes out on top in Game 1. But these Golden State Warriors under head coach Steve Kerr's tutelage are a different animal, and their track record shows that they are in a good position to dispose of the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs after taking a 95-85 victory in Game 1 on Sunday night.
As pointed out by Josh Dubow of Associated Press, the Warriors, under Kerr's watch, have won 20 out of the 21 playoff series in which they won Game 1. Meanwhile, they've gone 3-2 in series that they lost Game 1 in.
The only time that the Warriors lost a playoff series after winning Game 1 was in the 2016 NBA Finals. It looked like the 73-win Warriors were on track to win back-to-back championships after taking a 104-89 win in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Alas, a lot of things that could go wrong did go wrong for those Dubs. Draymond Green ended up getting himself suspended, Harrison Barnes went frigid from the field, and they lost Andrew Bogut to injury, culminating in the most embarrassing playoff choke job of all time.
That Cavs team, of course, had LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love at the peak of the trio's powers, and that Warriors side was hobbling to the finish line. And despite all that, they almost won the Game 7 slugfest.
Nonetheless, winning Game 1 almost always is a good omen for the Warriors. Stephen Curry was brilliant in Game 1 against the Rockets, and so was Jimmy Butler. It will take a herculean effort for the Rockets to stop this Warriors side that appears to be rehitting its stride after hitting a snag over the past week or so.
It's the same old story for the Warriors and Rockets
The Warriors have proven to be the Rockets' unbeatable boss battle in the playoffs over the years, and this year, it's shaping up to be the same old story for the two teams. In 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, the Rockets lost Game 1 to the Warriors and ended up losing the series.
Stephen Curry always seems to have the Rockets' number. In 21 playoff games against Houston, the Warriors star has averaged 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 47/38/87 shooting splits, showing himself to be the Rockets' metaphorical father.
