With the Golden State Warriors already at the brink of winning their second championship in three years, it is exciting times for the team, their fans and the whole of the Bay Area. Many are already looking forward to them winning on Friday and sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they also have the chance to make history by becoming the first team ever to go 16-0 in the postseason.

However, it won’t be all good news for them should they win in only four games. Although adding another championship to their franchise is a big achievement, they could also lose up to $22 million, according to a piece made by Darren Rovell of ESPN. It explains the potential earnings the team will not get the chance to make, and also gave a perspective of how big it is, by relating it to some of their players’ salaries.

“Team executives have said in the past that they'd rather win than think about the money they're leaving on the table by not taking a series longer. But the money is hardly something to sneeze at.”

“In fact, a Game 5 in Oakland alone comes close to paying Steph Curry‘s salary for the entire 2016-17 season: $12.1 million. All told, sweeping the series in Cleveland and not returning twice to the Bay Area, as the Warriors did last year for Games 5 and 7, would cost the Warriors' ownership group more than $22 million.”

This certainly makes a lot of sense as the prices of tickets for a potential Game 5 are expected to be very high. The viewers have also proven that they are still interested in the series despite the dominance of the Dubs, which could mean having millions watching once again.

However, if the first three games of the series is any indication of how they’ll play in Game 4, the Warriors may end the season on Friday, as they have dominated the Cavs and showed they can win on the road. It also won’t be a bad idea to eliminate the defending champions early, to prevent them from regaining their confidence, and pulling off another epic comeback, just like they did last year.