Golden State Warriors: 5 X-Factors In The 2015 NBA Finals

3. Opening Game Butterflies

There’s no getting around it: even with the switch back to the 2-2-1-1-1 Finals format, there’s an inordinate amount of pressure on the Warriors to do what they’ve done all year long and take care of business in Games 1 and 2 at home. The Dubs are 46-3 at home this season (including the playoffs), so it seems like this would be a simple task.

But there are other factors to consider here. For one thing, there’s not a single player on the Warriors’ roster with championship experience; the Cavs’ best player/potentially most unstoppable force in this series has been here four times already. Golden State hasn’t been to the Finals in 40 years; Cleveland was there as recently as 2007.

All the pressure is on the Warriors to rise to the occasion and prove to the world that the competition they’ve been slaying in the playoffs is superior to anything the Cavs have seen yet. But on basketball’s biggest stage, this is one area where the Cavs have an advantage.

Giving Cleveland any kind of opening here would incite panic among a fan base that’s been waiting decades for this moment. The Warriors have seemed invincible all season long; dropping one of these first two home games would have Golden State feeling a very human shiver crawl up its spine.

The butterflies are going to be there, especially with how deafeningly loud Oracle Arena is. But if the Warriors start slow as they’ve been prone to do so far in this postseason, LeBron James and the Cavaliers might have that killer instinct to build an early lead, stay far enough ahead and steal one of those crucial first two games.

Next: No. 2