Good news for Clippers: 85% of teams winning Game 1 at home win series

Here’s a stat that Clippers fans will like.

When the home team wins Game 1 of a seven-game NBA playoff series, that team wins the series 85% of the time. The Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday, 107-92.

Here’s a stat that Clippers fans will not like as much:

The Spurs have lost their playoff opener three times in years when they won the NBA championship.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was asked before Tuesday’s practice if he’s going to tell his players about that stat.

“I don’t think I need to do that, to be honest,” Rivers said. “This is not the NCAA tournament where you win one game and they’re out. You have to play them a lot more, and you have to just be ready individually, so I don’t think we need that. I’m sure they know. It doesn’t matter anyway.”

Jamal Crawford pointed out that the Clippers lost Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs last season, but went on to win the series.

“We haven’t done anything,” Crawford said.

In Sunday’s game, the Clippers led by as many as 20 points. They outshot the Spurs from the field, 51.3% to 36.6%, and from three-point range, 55.6% to 30.3%. The Spurs also made only 14 of 26 free-throw attempts, 53.8%.

Even though Crawford put that win in perspective, he said it was important for the Clippers to make that type of statement in their opener.

“When you play at that level, it’s one thing to do in the regular season, but if you do it in the playoffs against the hottest team in the NBA and the defending champions, it sets a tone for how your playoffs can go,” Crawford said. “Obviously it’s one game and every game will take on its own story line, but for us, it’s a good start.”

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