In the early NBA playoffs, home teams initially dominated, but road teams have since gained momentum, with only two higher-seeded teams maintaining 2-0 leads. This shift has diminished the home-court advantage, setting the stage for potential upsets in upcoming Game 3s.
Key points
Home teams initially won all first six playoff games by an average of 18.5 points.
Road teams have started winning, diminishing home-court advantage.
Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers lead their series 2-0.
Orlando Magic upset Detroit Pistons in Game 1.
Upcoming Game 3s may see lower-seeded teams feeling confident.
Cleveland CavaliersLos Angeles LakersOklahoma CityPhoenix
The first six games in this season's playoffs all had something in common. The home teams all prevailed, winning by an average of 18.5 points per game.
And since then, chaos. Road teams figured out how to avoid being pushovers.
Of the six first-round series that have completed two games, only two higher-seeded teams — Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers — have managed to hold serve at home and take 2-0 series leads. Oklahoma City could join the Cavaliers and Lakers in that club if it beats Phoenix in Game 2 of that series on Wednesday.
Otherwise, that home-court advantage teams spent 82 games of regular-season basketball trying to obtain? It's already gone, meaning a whole bunch of Game 3s are coming up later this week with lower-seeded teams feeling pretty good about their chances at springing an upset.
— East No. 8 Orlando beat No. 1 Detroit in Game 1 of their series on Sunday. The Pistons will try to salvage a split when the series resumes Wednesday.
— East No. 6 Atlanta beat No. 3 New York on Monday, while West No. 6 Minnesota beat No. 3 Denver later that night.
— And on Tuesday, East No. 7 Philadelphia beat No. 2 Boston, and West No. 7 Portland beat No. 2 San Antonio in a game in which the Spurs saw depart with a concussion in the first half.
Q&A
Which NBA teams have maintained a 2-0 lead in the playoffs?
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers are the only two higher-seeded teams that have maintained a 2-0 lead in their playoff series.
What happened to home-court advantage in the early NBA playoffs?
Home-court advantage has diminished as road teams have started winning, with many lower-seeded teams feeling optimistic about their chances in upcoming games.
How did the Orlando Magic perform against the Detroit Pistons?
The Orlando Magic, as the No. 8 seed, defeated the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their series.
What are the implications of road teams winning in the NBA playoffs?
The success of road teams could lead to significant upsets and alter the dynamics of the playoff series, impacting the strategies of higher-seeded teams.
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Cleveland is up 2-0 on Toronto, while the Lakers are up 2-0 on Houston.
“It's the playoffs,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said after his team — which beat the 76ers by 32 points in Game 1 — lost by 14 points in Game 2. “They've got ballplayers over there and they came to play. On any given night, you can lose a game if you don't come out with the right mindset.”
Road teams getting wins isn't uncommon. It's been a trend in recent years.
Over the last six postseasons, not counting the 2020 playoffs held inside the bubble at Walt Disney World because of the pandemic, home teams have won only 58% of playoff games — a steep dip from what used to be the norm. In the 15 seasons before that, home teams won playoff games at a 69% rate.
“Whatever story you told yourself during the regular season, that story is done,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “And now it’s the playoffs, so it's an entirely new season.”
It's not like the Pistons, Celtics, Spurs — with or without Wembanyama — or Nuggets will be intimidated by the notion of now having to win at least one road game if they're going to eventually prevail in these opening-round series. They all made road wins look routine this season.
Oklahoma City had the best road record in the NBA. The next four winningest road teams, in order, were San Antonio, Detroit, Denver and Boston.
“You have to just keep your temperament where it's at, understand these games ebb and flow," Denver coach David Adelman said after the Game 2 loss to Minnesota. “And we can play better. We know that.”
And Houston's 30 home wins tied for the fourth-most in the league, so the Lakers — even after they were one of the clubs defend home floor and take a 2-0 lead — know their matchup with the Rockets is far from over.
“It's the postseason. So, it's the first to four," Lakers forward LeBron James said. “It's never the first to one. It's never the first to two. Our whole mindset now is focused on Game 3. We know we're going into a hostile environment. Guys tend to play better at home than they do on the road, so we have to be ready for that.”
In the current playoff format, higher-seeded teams win conference quarterfinals series 77.4% of the time, and that goes up to 92.5% of the time when those higher-seeded clubs start with 2-0 series leads. The road warriors so far — Orlando, Atlanta, Minnesota, Portland and Philadelphia — have at least put a good-sized dent in those odds.
That said, they all know there's a ton of basketball left to be played.
“It's 1-1. Who cares?” 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey said. “Now we've got to go home and try to protect home court.”
