Legion of doom: Portland becomes the latest victim of the road Warriors
Of everything this team has accomplished over the past five seasons, a number that personifies its dominance is the streak the Warriors extended Saturday night when they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-99 to take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors now have 22 consecutive series with at least one road victory. That's already an NBA record, and it might stand for a long time. The Warriors already are flirting with the Chicago Bulls' six championships in eight years and even the Boston Celtics' eight straight titles in the 1960s for greatest-team-of-all-time status.official nfl jerseys cheap
"It's so hard to win a championship in this league," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "The competition is so fierce, and it's a two-month journey once the playoffs start. You know, they have been to the Finals four times, so that tells you all you need to know about their toughness and their competitive desire."
The Warriors ended LeBron James' personal streak of 33 consecutive road series with a win in the NBA Finals last season. That stat will never be remembered like his eight consecutive Finals appearances, but it is the underlying reason they happened, the guts of how he dominated.
This number is a cornerstone of the Warriors' case for what it represents: soul-crushing execution under pressure, relentless depth and disciplined defense that travels.nfl authentic jerseys cheap
That combo is what broke the Blazers in Game 3. The spirit of '77 might still be alive in the Rose City, but the spirit of this memorable Blazers team was snuffed out with Golden State warrioring on the road in one of the toughest places to play in the league.
"I don't think we've been that great in Game 3s over the years," Kerr said, knowing that all but one of their Game 3s have been on the road over the past five years. "That's all we talked about the last two days was we have an amazing opportunity to seize control here. That's what I think this was about -- respecting our opponent, knowing the magical run they have been on, how tough they are to beat in this building, and understanding that this is the game."
