The Golden State Warriors had an utterly forgettable game five on Wednesday, trailing by as much as 55 points in one of the worst performances in franchise history.
With a chance to close out the second-round series, the Warriors were never really in the contest, giving up 77 first-half points in an indescribably bad defensive performance.
Are sluggish starts simply a series issue for the Golden State Warriors? Have they been a season-long issue? Or, by extension, are they a dynasty-long issue dating back to their first championship in 2015?
Many on social media were quick to bemoan another slow, docile start, with Golden State now, despite leading the series 3-2, having lost all five first quarters in this series.
The short answer – yes, the Warriors have long had an issue with starting games explosively. But let’s dive into some data that provides greater clarity on the depth of the issue this season compared to previous.
“We’ve got to be subtle when we first come out. We’ve tried to go for a lot of home run plays but we’ve discussed that, let’s just pick them apart, flow off start and take our time.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 11, 2022
Otto Porter on the Warriors slow starts in this series vs Grizzlies. pic.twitter.com/QmRdle5cCs
After another poor first quarter in game five, Golden State now rank second-last in first quarter plus-minus this postseason. Their -3.2 sits only above the Chicago Bulls, a team who lost easily in the first round.
For a team who finished with the equal third-best record in the regular season, the Warriors first quarter plus-minus of +0.4 (14th) may have been an indication of the more significant concerns to come.