The series begins in San Francisco, as the Golden State Warriors are the top seed, but they will have a tough time against the Lakers; it starts tomorrow, May 2, with 48 hours of rest between games.
The Golden State Warriors officially advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after their great victory in the seventh game of the first round against the Sacramento Kings. However, the celebration is short-lived as their first game of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers begins on Tuesday, May 2. The series will start in San Francisco, as the Warriors have the advantage of playing at home as the top seed. The games in this series will be played every two days, giving both teams 48 hours of rest between each matchup.
That being said, rest could play an important factor in this series. Golden State seemed fatigued at the end of the series against Sacramento and will play with a brief rest after taking an additional game to finish their first-round matchup.
More rest days for Lakers, but…
Meanwhile, the Lakers finished their series last Friday giving them four days of rest before the start of this series. Fortunately, the proximity of Los Angeles should limit travel time for Golden State.
Although not a bus ride as was the case against Sacramento, the short flight to Southern California means the Warriors will once again avoid having to travel out of state when playing away from home.
The most anticipated
The series between the Warriors and Lakers is expected to be the most anticipated matchup of the NBA postseason's second round.
The two California teams will play against each other in the playoffs for the first time in over 30 years when the Lakers had players like Magic Johnson and the Warriors had Chris Mullin, bringing the classic NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry to the stage.
Meanwhile, the two most important superstars of the NBA, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, will face each other once again, adding another chapter to their historic rivalry between players, with Curry having a 15-7 advantage in postseason games against James.
