Their regular third quarter surges were the key to the Golden State Warriors' success in this year's postseason, and they have the numbers to prove it. They just set the all-time record for the largest point differential in a single quarter in the Playoffs by outscoring their opponents by a total of 153 points in the third frame alone.
The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers by 12 points in the 3rd quarter.
This postseason, Golden State has outscored its opponents by 153 points in the 3rd quarter, the largest point diff in a single playoff quarter in the Shot-Clock Era (since 1954-55). h/t @EliasSports
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 9, 2018
The Warriors have been absolutely lethal in the third quarter and more often than not, they use this 12 minutes to pull away from their opponents. They build a considerable lead entering the fourth, which prove to be too difficult to overcome for opposing teams.
In the Finals, Golden State outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers by a total of 30 points in their four matchups, and this ultimately led to the demise of the runners-up.
It is worth noting though that in both Games 1 and 3 — the two contest wherein the Cavs had the biggest chances of securing victories — they were able to keep the ballgame close up to the end of the third quarter. Cleveland were only down by only six and two points, respectively, entering the final 12 minutes.
This is quite a disparity from Games 2 and 4, wherein the Warriors were up by double digits by the end of the third period. The third was also the culprit in the Game 4 blowout as Golden State came out firing on all cylinders after the halftime break, outscoring Cleveland 25-13 and amassing a 20-point lead entering the fourth.
The Warriors were able to prove how successful their gameplan was throughout the Playoffs and the Finals, and the third quarter rush was definitely pivotal to their triumph.
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