Win percentages after game 2 of a best of 7 series

Earlier in the week I went through the last 211 best of 7 NBA playoff series, and I gave you the winning percentages for the team that has home court advantage following game 1. I will repeat the info here, and add what the percentages are following game 2.

In the last 211 best of 7 series the home team won game one 159 times. 140 of those teams won the series (88%).

When the team with home court advantage took a 2-0 series lead they won the series 93.3% of the time (113/121)

In the last 211 best of 7 series the road team won game one 52 times, 30 of those teams won the series (58%).

Just 10 of those 52 teams would go home with a 2-0 series lead, 7 of those teams held on and won the series (2005 Houston lost to Dallas in 7 games after winning games 1 and 2 in Dallas, and 1994 Phoenix lost to Houston in 7 games after winning games 1 and 2 in Houston.)

Of the last 211 best of 7 series, 80 have been split after 2 games. The team that began the series with the home court advantage won the series 49 times (61.3%)

Don’t be fooled by the 10 times in 20 years when it comes to the road team winning the first 2 games, it is much more rare than once every 2 years. I happened 4 times in a 3 year stretch from ’93-’95. The Rockets have been involved in both cases of a team blowing a 2-0 lead going home, they have actually been involved in 5 of the 10 series.

In 1995 they won the first 2 games on the road of the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio, and they took the first 2 games of the Finals in Orlando. They lost the first 2 games at home in 2008 against Utah. The teams that came back after losing the first 2 games at home each won the next 3, would lose on the road in game 6, and then win game 7 at home.