Highlights

By definition, in a six-game series, the losing team wins two games. More importantly, the losing team, usually the favorite in the series who starts at home, wins those two games at home. Either they take the first two games, lose two on the road, come back home, and everything goes sideways in Game 5, or they lose one of the first two games at home, fall down 3-1 on the road, pull one back, then ultimately succumb to the enemy’s fans going bonkers and the atmosphere of a team knowing they’re toast if the series gets pushed to seven …

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It is one thing to read too much into a Game 1 when it doesn’t tell us anything about the relative strengths of the teams, with one team winning big, but on its home floor against a player notorious for treating a seven-game series as a boxing match, feeling out the opponent in the early rounds. It is another thing for a team to go into an opponent’s house, punch them square in the mouth, knock out a couple of teeth, and then dare them to bite back against a title defense by the champion. And that’s why the Houston …

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Let’s just say Alvin Gentry isn’t about to surpass his mentor Steve Kerr anytime soon. The Golden State Warriors closed out their five-game series with the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night, winning 113-104 behind a 36-19 third quarter that extended their lead to 20 with one quarter remaining. And even though the Pellies gave a good account of themselves to close the final margin down to nine, the fact remains this one was never in real doubt. Anthony Davis had 36 points and Jrue Holiday had a triple-double, scoring 27 points, pulling 10 rebounds, and dishing 11 assists. Trouble was, …

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