Warriors get embarrassed: Four things to know
By Ian Levy
The Warriors do not get blown out
As I wrote in The Rotation this morning, the Warriors, as a rule, do not get blown out. They’ve lost just 33 games over the last two seasons, including the playoffs, and this was just the third time they’ve lost by 20 or more points. All told, it works out to an average of about one 20-point loss for every 66 games they played.
Another way of illustrating how dominant the Warriors have been, and how bad they were in Game 3, is too look at the total number of minutes they’ve played with different scoring margins. According to Nylon Calculus, the Warriors were behind by 20 or more points for just under 48 minutes across the entire regular season. They trailed by 20 or more points for nearly 25 minutes just in Game 3.
While a loss may just be a loss, and the size or duration of this blowout may not say much about Golden State’s chances to come back and win the series, there has to be an emotional toll to being so thoroughly dismantled. The Warriors have made a habit out of doing it to other teams. Now they’re getting a chance to stew in that frustration themselves.
Next: 3. Draymond Green is volatile