NBA: For the primary time, highway groups cross 4-0 to open convention semifinals

Road, candy highway.

Home-court merit? It doesn’t exist to this point within the NBA convention semifinals — the place visiting groups blended to head 4-0 in Game 1s, the primary time that has took place all over this around within the league’s playoff historical past.

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Indiana beat top-seeded Cleveland on Sunday within the opener of that East sequence, New York beat protecting champion Boston and Denver beat West top-seeded Oklahoma City of their respective openers Monday, and Golden State crowned Minnesota in Game 1 in their matchup Tuesday.

“It’s an amazing group of guys,” Warriors trainer Steve Kerr stated after Golden State’s win, one who got here with Stephen Curry out for far of the sport with a strained hamstring.

So a long way in those playoffs, highway groups have long past 23-25. That’s on tempo to be the third-best general highway playoff report in NBA postseason historical past, now not counting the bubble season of 2020 when no one technically used to be at house.

Road groups had long past 3-1 within the Round 2 openers of the NBA playoffs on 3 different events — 2023, 2015 and 2011 — within the present playoff structure, which dates to 1984. (It additionally took place throughout the bubble all over the 2020 playoffs, when groups had house and highway designations, however video games had been on impartial flooring inside of Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.)

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But 4-0 hasn’t ever took place, till now.

“I always say a playoff series doesn’t start until someone wins a road game,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton stated. “Well, we’ve won two.”

That’s true: Indiana doubled down on its highway luck by means of additionally taking Game 2 at Cleveland on Tuesday night time, simply earlier than Golden State misplaced Stephen Curry early however received Game 1 at Minnesota.

And all that resulted in much more highway historical past: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday become the primary three-day stretch in NBA playoff historical past the place visiting groups blended to head no less than 6-0. That run began Sunday with Indiana’s Game 1 win at Cleveland, then Golden State’s Game 7 highway win at Houston within the conclusion of the primary around of the playoffs.

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The wins by means of New York and Denver had been Monday, then Indiana and Golden State received once more on Tuesday.

“This team has fought all year,” Knicks trainer Tom Thibodeau stated. “It’s been a pretty good road team.”

They’re now not on my own. Not this yr, anyway, and this pattern didn’t get started in those playoffs. Home groups received 54% of video games within the common season, the fourth time the leaguewide house profitable share has dipped that low within the closing 5 years.