Celtics erase 12-point G.S. lead with 40-16 fourth
The Golden State Warriors had to lose a playoff game at Chase Center at some point, but by falling to the Boston Celtics 120-108 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, they picked a terrible time to do so. What were the key takeaways from the Warriors’ series-opening setback?
Elite defense to total meltdown: The Warriors initially played textbook defense on Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Yes, Golden State threw some zone looks at Boston’s duo throughout the game, but mostly they were able to stifle them with straight up, aggressive, man-to-man defense.
As expected, Andrew Wiggins started on Tatum, and Klay Thompson picked up Brown. Those two were fantastic early in limiting their penetration and forcing them to settle for outside shots. And when they did get beat, the Warriors’ help defenders did a great job cutting off driving lanes as they recovered. Brown was a more effective scorer than Tatum (especially in the fourth quarter when it mattered most), and did most of his damage on pull-up jumpers because he just couldn’t get all the way to the rim.
But basketball is a game of adjustments. The Warriors had built a 92-80 lead entering the fourth quarter, and that’s where the wheels fell off.
Boston locked up defensively. Brown started getting to the rim. But the wildest thing of all was the Celtics heating up from deep, knocking down 9-of-12 3-pointers as they outscored the Warriors 40-16 in the final frame. Brown finished with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting, while Tatum had 12.
What really beat the Warriors was the performance of Boston’s complementary players. Al Horford dropped a team-high 26 points and Derrick White 21 coming off the bench. The pair combined for 11-for-16 shooting from deep. In a five-minute span of the fourth quarter beginning at the 6:04 mark, Boston made 5-of-8 threes (and was 6-of-11 overall) while the Warriors were 0-for-5 from the field.
The Warriors just couldn’t survive that, leading to their first playoff defeat in Chase.
Mama, there goes that man: Stephen Curry’s quest for his fourth NBA championship (and the Finals MVP recognition that has eluded him through 13 years in the league) got off to a big start. He poured in 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting (6-of-8 from 3-point range) in the first quarter, and finished with a game-high 34 points with five rebounds and five assists.
It appeared as if the Warriors’ seven-day break did wonders for Curry. He looked refreshed and that was evident in his aggressive play. Fans have waited patiently for a classic Curry Flurry in these playoffs, and they got one in Game 1.
Curry’s dynamite first quarter against the Celtics was historic: the 21 points were the most he has scored in any Finals quarter, his six made 3-pointers set a Finals record for a single quarter, and Curry joined Michael Jordan as the only players since 1993 to score 21 or more points in a quarter in a Finals game.
Initially, lazy defense from Boston had a lot to do with Curry’s first-quarter eruption, too. They just couldn’t stay attached to him as he came off ball screens. Curry got some of the best looks he has had all postseason in that opening quarter. Boston entered Thursday night with the best defense in the league, so seeing the Celtics make so many early errors on the best shooter in the game was headscratching.
Injured Warriors return:
Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala returned for Game 1. While Porter played 23 minutes and Iguodala 12, Payton didn’t get into the game.
Porter and Iguodala had efficient returns, at least from a scoring perspective, combining for 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. But the Warriors were a combined minus-21 with the veteran pair on the floor.