The Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors certainly provided some fireworks in Game 1 of the NBA playoffs. The two teams did not hide their hate for each other as Golden State escaped with the first victory of the series. The Warriors got the 109-105 win while stealing home court advantage from the Clippers. Can Los Angeles bounce back and avoid another disappointing postseason?
The Warriors were resilient in Game 1. The team rallied from a 12-1 start and took a lead while withstanding a late-game surge from the Clippers that had the game tied with just over a minute to play. The Clippers have not lost a first-round series in the postseason with Chris Paul so can the team bounce back instead of unraveling?
Fouls were running wild in Game 1, something that will continue to impact this series. Blake Griffin and Andre Iguodala both fouled out in the game, while Paul, Matt Barnes, David Lee and more had at least four fouls. Can a different set of referees make a difference? Griffin was not making excuses after fouling out, but is hopeful that the officials let a physical game remain that way.
Stephen Curry and Paul will dictate most of this series. In Game 1, Curry had 14 points and seven turnovers which is not enough even though Golden State got the win. He was 10 points below his average while going just 2 of 6 from beyond the arc. Paul finished with 28 points and six turnovers, but his final 18 seconds included two missed free throws, a lost ball out of bounds and a missed 3-point shot.
Golden State will be without Andrew Bogut for the second game. However, that was not an issue in Game 1. The team scored 48 points on the inside without the big man with the 25-16 edge in offensive rebounds. Griffin impacted that by fouling out, something that cannot happen again if the Clippers going to get the Game 2 win.
