SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Golden State Warriors hosted and bested the Houston Rockets 104-pts-90 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1282 victory. With the series 1282 win, the Golden State Warriors improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 10-10 overall and 2-2 in the Semifinals round. With the series 1282 loss, the Houston Rockets see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 15-17 overall and 4-3 in the Semifinals round. The win order for the victorious Golden State Warriors in series 1282 was WWWLW: Series 1282 thus becomes the tenth NBA Semifinals-round series, the 35th NBA series (all rounds), and the 86th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The first NBA team to post a best-of-7 playoff series win order of WWWLW: The Philadelphia Warriors (a precursor entity to the current Golden State Warriors), over the Chicago Stags in the 1947 NBA Finals (series 64). So it is that the 2015 NBA Semifinals required only nine games, which ties the NBA Semifinals rounds of 1986, 1974, and 1970 for fewest NBA Semifinals games since the NBA adopted a format of two best-of-7 Semifinals series in 1958.

After Game 4: The Houston Rockets hosted and defeated the Golden State Warriors 128-pts-115 to drop the Golden State Warriors best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1282 lead to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Golden State Warriors have a series record of 2-0 and a Game 5 record of 0-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 2-8 and a Game 5 record of 8-2. When the Houston Rockets have trailed a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1 but then won Games 5-6, they have a 2-0 Game 7 record. Twice in ten tries have the Houston Rockets surmounted 3-games-1 deficits for 4-games-3 series victories: In series 1280, they did so against the Los Angeles Clippers in the just-completed 2015 NBA Quarterfinals round; in series 691, they did so against the Phoenix Suns in the 1995 NBA Quarterfinals round whose 20th anniversary they now celebrate. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series since 1946, inclusive, teams such as the Golden State Warriors holding a 3-games-1 lead through site order HHVV have a 141-1 (.993) series record; the sole loss was that sustained by the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets in series 691. The 45 points by the Houston Rockets in the first quarter of series 1267 Game 4 tie for the most ever in the first quarter of a best-of-7 format NBA playoff game, tying the 45 points by the Dallas Mavericks in series 468 Game 4, against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas in their 1986 NBA Quarterfinals series.

After Game 3: The Golden State Warriors visited and defeated the Houston Rockets 115-pts-80 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1282 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Golden State Warriors have a series record of 2-0 and a Game 4 record of 2-0. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 4 record of 1-2. Golden State led the Rockets in Houston by 25 points at halftime of series 1282 Game 3: That 25-point halftime lead is the sixth-largest halftime lead on the road in a best-of-7 NBA playoff game (all rounds), and the third-largest halftime lead on the road in a best-of-7 NBA Semifinals game. The 35-point win by Golden State of series 1282 Game 3 is the eighth-largest road win in best-of-7 NBA playoff game history (all rounds).

After Game 2: The Golden State Warriors hosted and defeated the Houston Rockets 99-pts-98 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1282 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Golden State Warriors have a series record of 2-0 and a Game 3 record of 2-0. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 2-12 (with an active six-series losing streak) and a Game 3 record of 11-3. The Golden State Warriors first led a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil in series 305 (the 1975 NBA Finals), which they swept in four games to win the 1975 NBA championship.

After Game 1: The Golden State Warriors hosted and defeated the Houston Rockets 110-pts-106 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1282 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Golden State Warriors have a series record of 7-3 and a Game 2 record of 2-8. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Houston Rockets have a series record of 5-13 and a Game 2 record of 4-14. Golden State trailed series 1282 Game 1 at home by seven points after the first quarter. In the history of best-of-7 format NBA playoff games since 1946, inclusive, and prior to series 1282 Game 1, home teams down seven points after one quarter had a game record of 31-31. Trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Houston Rockets had a six-series losing streak and an eleven-Game 2 losing streak, but snapped both against the Los Angeles Clippers in their just-completed 2015 NBA Quarterfinals series (series 1280).

Pre-series assessment: In the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the Golden State Warriors finished eleven games ahead of the Houston Rockets. From 1947 through the 2015 NBA Quarterfinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by eleven regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 22-5 (.815) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1282 is the 20th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Golden State Warriors, and the 32nd for the Houston Rockets. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Golden State Warriors have an all-rounds series record of 9-10, a Semifinals-round series record of 1-2, and a Game 1 record of 10-9, while the Houston Rockets have an all-rounds series record of 15-16, a Semifinals-round series record of 4-2, and a Game 1 record of 13-18.