Warriors’ 10-0 start no guarantee of title
The Golden State Warriors’ rare unbeaten start to this post-season doesn’t necessarily mean they’re on their way to a title.
Golden State is just the fifth NBA team to win its first 10 playoff games in a given post-season. Only two of the four other teams that achieved the feat went on to win in the final.
The Warriors aren’t getting caught up in talk about where they might rank in history if they continue this run. They say they’re focusing on getting better and the next game against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
“We feel like we like our chances against anybody, no matter (who) is on the court,” Warriors forward Kevin Durant said Tuesday after a 136-100 victory over the Spurs. “That’s the confidence we have, but we’ve got to be ready for Game 3. We know they’re probably going to be full strength in Game 3 and ready to play us.”
Here’s a look at the other four teams with the best starts in playoff history:
11-0 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers followed a 57-25 regular season by carrying an unbeaten post-season record into the NBA Finals as they sought their third straight title. But after sweeping Portland, Seattle and Phoenix to win the West, the Lakers were swept by the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers’ title hopes suffered a devastating blow when Magic Johnson injured his hamstring in Game 2. Johnson started Game 3, but played just five minutes before missing the rest of the series.
11-0 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers dropped only one game the entire post-season on their way to winning a second straight championship. The Lakers would win a third straight crown the following year. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant led a Lakers team that swept Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio in the Western Conference. After losing 107-101 at home to Philadelphia in the first game of the NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the 76ers four straight times to clinch the title.
10-0 2011-12 San Antonio Spurs
After sweeping Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio took a 2-0 lead over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. But the Spurs wouldn’t win another game as the Thunder beat San Antonio four straight times. Oklahoma City then lost the NBA Finals in five games to Miami.
10-0 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers swept Detroit and Atlanta in the first two rounds of the post-season and took a quick 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals before losing five of their next eight games. Cleveland won a six-game series with Toronto, but fell behind Golden State 3-1 in the NBA Finals before LeBron James and Kyrie Irving rallied the Cavaliers to the title. Cleveland has also swept its first two playoff opponents this year as it enters the Eastern Conference finals with the Boston Celtics, marking the first time a team has started 8-0 in two straight postseasons.