The Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers began on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors were once again without the services of Kevin Durant, who would miss his second-consecutive game while recovering from a calf injury. The Trail Blazers were worn down as well, as they needed all seven games to eliminate the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, culminating with an exhausting and intense Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.
The first game of the Western Conference Finals wasn’t the most well-executed one.