Time for the Golden State Warriors to show this will be a long series, not a short title reign.
The defending champions — without the suspended Draymond Green — will begin trying to climb out of a hole their current group has never faced when they host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night in one of three games on the NBA playoff schedule.
They are down 2-0, just as the Brooklyn Nets are against the Philadelphia 76ers in what has looked so far like a series that will end quickly. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers play their Game 3 in a tied series that could go the distance.
It’s unclear which way Warriors-Kings will go.
Both games have been close deep into the fourth quarter, but Sacramento, the No. 3 seed, was just a little better in the clutch despite being a playoff newcomer in its first appearance since 2006. Their finish in Game 2 was aided by the absence of Green, thrown out after stepping on Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis.
The Warriors are the experienced group, with four titles in eight years, but they have no experience in this predicament. Golden State hasn’t trailed 2-0 in any series since 2007, before Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were even in the NBA.
“I don’t feel pressure, I just see an opportunity for us to go home and protect our home court and make adjustments,” Thompson said. “I mean, like I’ve said before, we’ve been through it all, so we’re not accustomed to hitting the panic button.”
Being home guarantees nothing against a Sacramento team that was 25-16 on the road in the regular season, the best record in the Western Conference. So the Kings were already a confident group, even more now after their victories in Games 1 and 2.
“Day after day, game after game, when you’re winning a game in a playoff series it builds up your confidence,” Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said. “Obviously you don’t want to overreact or go into a game overconfident, but I mean you put yourself in that position, so you have the right to be confident.”
So do the Clippers, though they are coming off a loss. They won Game 1 at Phoenix and had a double-digit lead before the Suns rallied for a 123-109 victory despite another good game for Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
“I feel good where we’re at,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our guys are going to keep competing and keep scrapping. We think we can win this series, and so that’s the biggest thing. One hundred percent of the battle is believing, and we…
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