Bay Area sports team compete against Los Angeles rivals in playoff series

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The Golden State Warrior and San Jose Sharks cheer each other on via twitter as both teams attempt to defeat their Los Angeles opponents in the first round of their respective playoff runs.

California sports fans are in for a treat, as two Bay Area teams take on their Los Angeles rivals in the first rounds of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs.

The number six seed Golden State Warriors are tied 1-1 with the Los Angeles Clippers so far in its best of seven series. The Warriors secured a narrow 109-105 victory on Satuday, but were unable to maintain that momentum and lost 98-138 last night. Stephen Curry and David Lee currently lead the team in scoring with 38 and 31 points, respectively.

Many fans enjoy the added excitement of the playoffs that often comes from the increased pressure and drive of the elimination-style tournament.

“Playoff basketball is exciting because it’s a lot more intense. The games are a lot closer and more exciting,” Arjun Ashok (11) said. “I think having something like that to play for, like which area of the state is better, is really cool.”

After playing the first two games in Los Angeles, both teams teams will return to the Oracle Arena for game three on Thursday game four on Sunday. The San Jose Sharks had an even stronger start to its playoff run, leading its series 2-0 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks have scored 13 goals between their 6-3 and 7-2 victories at home in games one and two, respectively. Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, and Raffi Torres have each scored two goals so far in this high-scoring series.

 

The team travels to Los Angeles for games three and four of the best of seven series tonight and on Thursday. Home ice has been an important factor in this matchup, as the home team has won 20 of the last 23 regular season and playoff games.

“The scores are irrelevant. They’re over. […] That’s all you get is a win. You don’t get goals for or goals against that count for anything,” head coach Todd McLellan said in a media interview after last night’s victory. “The building’s tough to play in in LA. They’ll have the energy with the crowd and that type of stuff. Our game has to get better to win there.”

If the Warriors win their series, they will play the winner of the matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western conference semifinals. If the Sharks win their series, they will play the winner of the Anaheim Ducks versus Dallas Stars series in round two.

Upcoming Warriors games will be broadcasted on CSN Bay Area and TNT. Upcoming Sharks games will be broadcasted on CBC, CSN Bay Area, and NBC Sports Network. Radio coverage of both games can be livestreamed online from each team’s respective website.