Here's how teams have fared after winning Game 1 of NBA Finals on the road
BOSTON -- The Celtics won Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road. That doesn't happen too often these days.
In fact, it hasn't happened since 2013. Prior to that, it hadn't happened since 2004. If we extend the window to the last 30-plus years, the road team won Game 1 of the Finals in 2001, 1995, 1993 and 1991. It's now happened seven times in the last 33 years.
Winning Game 1 has been massive, no matter where the game was played, as the winner of the opening game in the Finals has ended up winning the series 70.7 percent of the time (53-22). That number jumps to 77.6 percent when it's the home team winning Game 1, so the Celtics have avoided those long odds already and flipped the power in the series right off the jump.
Where the series goes from here, nobody knows. The Warriors could very well win the next two games and change the entire scope yet again.
Of course, results from the 1950s don't mean much now. For that matter, results from the '90s or even last year won't have any impact on the games in the coming days and weeks.
Still, if you like to keep track of historical trends in order to gain some level of feeling on the present, here's how NBA Finals have gone after the road team has won Game 1 since 1990.
2013 San Antonio Spurs: Lost in seven games to the Heat
2004 Detroit Pistons: Won in five games over the Lakers
2001 Philadelphia 76ers: Lost in five games to the Lakers
1995 Houston Rockets: Won in five games over the Magic
1993 Chicago Bulls: Won in six games over the Suns
1991 Los Angeles Lakers: Lost in five games to the Bulls
The 3-3 record of those road winners in Game 1 shows that this series is far from over. But a .500 shot is a lot better than the 22.4 percent odds they'd be looking at had they lost that series opener.
For the heck of it, here are the other instances of the road team winning Game 1 of the Finals:
In the '80s, road teams winning Game 1 ended up winning the series half the time.
1988 Detroit Pistons: Lost in seven games to the Lakers
1986 Boston Celtics: Won in seven games over the Rockets
1984 Los Angeles Lakers: Lost in seven games to the Celtics
1982 Los Angeles Lakers: Won in six games over the 76ers
In the '70s, those teams went 2-1 in the Finals.
1975 Golden State Warriors: Won in four games over the Bullets
1974 Boston Celtics: Won in seven games over the Bucks
1972 New York Knicks: Lost in five games to the Lakers
In the '60s, only one road team won Game 1. That team did not win the series.
1966 Los Angeles Lakers: Lost in seven games to the Celtics
And in the ancient history department, road teams won Game 1 four times in the '50s. Those teams went 2-2 in their series.
1958 St. Louis Hawks: Won in six games over the Celtics
1957 St. Louis Hawks: Lost in seven games to the Celtics
1953 New York Knicks: Lost in five games to the Lakers
1950 Minneapolis Lakers: Won in six games over the Nationals
Add it all up, and the road team has won Game 1 of the NBA Finals 18 times. Those teams are 9-9.
So, again, clearly, there's a long way to go.
However ... looking ahead to Game 2, the Celtics have a chance to really take command of the series, as teams that have taken a 2-0 lead on the road in seven-game series (dating back to 1984) have won 23 of 27 times -- 85.1 percent of the time. (Per basketball-reference's historical data.) That includes two NBA Finals -- in 1993 and 1995 -- though that was under the old 2-3-2 format.
Outside of the Finals, the Mavericks fell into that unfortunate grouping of four last year in the first round, losing in seven games to the Clippers after winning Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles. The Celtics also overcame a 2-0 deficit suffered on their home floor against the Bulls in 2017, beating Chicago in seven games in a memorable first-round series. The other team to lose a series after taking a 2-0 lead on the road were the 2005 Rockets (first round) and 1994 Suns (Western Conference semis).
Once again, the past means nothing for the future. But the Celtics at least can feel much better about where they sit right than they would have if not for that remarkable fourth-quarter surge to win Game 1.
