The Golden State Warriors made a 19-point comeback and won Game 2.
It was an impressive feat that saw many of their stars chip in along with a huge 21 points from starting center Kevon Looney. Looney’s 21 on 10-for-14 shooting was a career-high for the DUbs former first-round pick.
The Dallas Mavericks have been in this position before, as have the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs cannot take their lead for granted.
The Warriors’ two wins in the Western Conference Finals couldn’t have been much different. In the first half of Game 1, nothing was falling for Dallas, and in the first half of Game 2, it seemed like they couldn’t miss.
Golden State cruised to a 25-point win in Game 1. They put an insane 7 players in double figures as many starters were given some time to rest. Stephen Curry led the way with 21 points. Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins had 19 apiece.
In Game 2, the Warriors had to scratch and claw their way back into the game before using a 43-point fourth quarter to pull away, winning 126-117. However, this is a situation both teams have been in this postseason, and clearly, they managed to get through it.
Dallas played the No. 1-seeded Suns in the second round. Phoenix was a formidable foe that ranked in the top six in both offensive and defensive ratings. They were among the favorites to win the NBA Championship.
The Mavericks lost every away game in that series outside of Game 7 and still managed to come out on top.
All they needed was one road win when it mattered. To give more clarity, the Mavs didn’t just lose the first two games of that series: They were annihilated. They lost Game 1 by 7 and Game 2 by 20. Dallas lost Game 1 and 2 against the Warriors by a combined 34 points.
The Warriors didn’t have home court against Memphis but won all 3 home games and split one of their first two road games in the series, ending it in 6. Now, they did take a commanding 2-0 lead against Denver and won that series in 5, winning all 3 home games and 1 in the Mile High City.
This core is a battle-tested group, and they’ll understand the importance of not coming back to Game 5 with a 2-2 series. With that in mind, expect them to keep pressing as the Mavs try to pull things back together in Game 3.