- The Warriors are down 3-1 to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
- Teams facing a 3-1 deficit have historically not done well in the NBA playoffs.
- A TikTok corgi who has correctly predicted every game in the series so far gives fans hope.
The Golden State Warriors trail the Los Angeles Lakers 3-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series heading into Wednesday night’s game in San Francisco.
At this point, it’s safe to say that the odds are stacked against the reigning champion Warriors. Although he still carries much of the title-winning roster that led them to victory in six games in the NBA Finals last yearthe Warriors have their backs against the wall.
Historically, the team that leads an NBA series 3-1 has won the series 95.3% of the time. Teams have successfully pulled off a 3-1 comeback just 13 times in league history, the most recent of which was in 2020 when the Denver Nuggets escaped two 3-1 deficits in the nba bubble.
But while the numbers may suggest the Warriors need a miracle to come back against the Lakers, a corgi on TikTok gives fans hope their team finds a path to victory.
The account that aircorg has 1.3 million followers on TikTok. In videos posted to the page, the dog throws a basketball into two baskets in an attempt to predict the outcomes of the playoff series in various sports.
While aircorg’s record over the life of the account is far from perfect, so far in the Lakers-Warriors series, the dog has called every game correctly. And according to the corgi, the Warriors are winning the last three games of the series to clinch a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Take a look for yourself.
When the Lakers won Monday night’s game to take a 3-1 series lead, fans began to take notice. Even though the Warriors had their backs against the wall, this corgi had faith in them.
—• (@Zauvaughn) May 9, 2023
—Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) May 9, 2023
—NBA University (@NBA_University) May 9, 2023
“Warriors fans really have to trust a dog to see if they win a series against us.” a tweet from a Lakers fan read. “I can’t believe our season is in the hands of this dog,” he said. a tweet from a Warriors fan.
Whether or not you believe in the corgi’s abilities, the stage is set for a wild ending to this series.
Of all the 3-1 series comebacks, the most infamous is LeBron leading the Cavaliers to a comeback victory in the NBA Finals when trailing the Warriors 3-1 in 2016.
Now the core of that Warriors team — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — has a chance to flip LeBron’s script and pull off a 3-1 comeback.
His fate is in his hands, and possibly in the paws of a famous corgi.
