Warriors’ second-half dominance on full display
Across the six playoff runs since 2015, the Warriors have a better second half plus-minus in five of those (the outlier is 2019). Even more evidently though, their first-half plus-minus is +1.7, while their second half is +5.2.
That’s a pretty damning showcase of Golden State’s second-half dominance in playoff games and the competitive nature of first halves.
Need more convincing though?
Well, even in the Warriors’ two bad years where they missed the playoffs, they were still a better second-half team in both seasons. Across the previous two regular seasons, the Warriors had a first-half plus-minus of -6.4, and a second of -1.
So, yes, starting games has often been an issue for the Warriors under Steve Kerr. But this postseason, one where they’re still in a position to reach the Western Conference Finals, has been clearly the most significant period of first-quarter struggles.
If the Warriors remain the second-worst first-quarter team these playoffs, put simply, they cannot win the championship. This version may be capable of winning the title, but they simply don’t have the wiggle room of those 2015-2019 teams who often cakewalked to the Finals.