After watching a double-digit lead slip away in the fourth quarter of the 2022 NBA Finals opener Thursday night, Warriors fans might feel like Game 2 is a must win.
Unfortunately, NBA history seems to agree.
No team has ever won the NBA Finals after losing the first two games at home, per Sportradar. Five different teams have come back to win the Finals after facing a two-games-to-none deficit, but all five were the visitors for the opening pair of tilts.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
One of those five teams, of course, was the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers, who infamously stormed back to beat Golden State in the '16 Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks did it last postseason against the Phoenix Suns, putting his team on the list along with the 2005-06 Miami Heat, 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers and 1968-69 Boston Celtics.
Obviously, teams that win the opening game of the Finals have an advantage and have gone onto win the championship 70.7 percent of the time. Surprisingly, though, teams that win Game 1 of the Finals on the road have been crowned champions just 47.1 percent of the time.
RELATED: Steph not ruling out minutes increase, Dubs rotation changes
Since Steve Kerr took over as head coach in 2014-15, the Warriors have never lost the first two games of a playoff series. The Warriors certainly hope that fact rings true Sunday when they regroup for Game 2 at Chase Center.
