ALL FOULED UP
Turnovers, Celtic free throws plague Warriors in second-half collapse
For a team that has tried to prepare themselves for more basketball in June, the Warriors may have already received a sneak preview on what that might entail.
Unfor tunately for the Warriors, those moments contained more frustrating lows than exhilarating highs.
The Warriors fell to the Boston Celtics 92-88 on Thursday in a nationally televised game that snapped their seven- game winning streak, extended Boston’s to 14 and took both teams through an emotional roller coaster.
First, the Warriors (11- 4) could not overcome the Celtics (14-2) enjoying a Boston free-throw party.
The Warriors equally criticized themselves and questioned how the Celtics went 33 of 38 fromthe
free-throw line. Warriors coach Steve Kerr blamed his team for “committing a lot of silly fouls” that added up to 26.
But the Warriors also found it silly when the whistles went against them on two different calls.
Boston guard Kyrie Irving found an open layup off an inbounds pass. After making the layup, officials called a foul on Warriors guard Klay Thompson that ensured a 3-point play fora86-85 lead with 2:36 remaining.
“He got to the free-throw line and beat me on a backdoor play. It’s inexcusable,” Thompson said. “I guess I can’t foul. I got to give him more space when he drives, I guess.”
Thompson made a 3-pointer for a 88-86 lead with 1:21 remaining, but Irving drew another trip to the foul line and tied the game with 1:17 left. After Warriors forward Draymond Green missed an open 3-pointer amid a 88-88 tie with 39 seconds remaining, Green was called for a foul after Irving drove past himat the topof thekey. He then made two foul shots for a 90-88 lead with 14 seconds remaining.
When asked if he disagreed with that call, the normally outspoken Green answered, “Does it really matter at this point?” Though he admitted it’s “petty onmy part,” Kerr argued the officials ruled incorrectly after watching the replay.
“He didn’t make no shots. He got to the free-throw line,” Green said of Irving, who had 16 points by using his foul shots (7 of 8) to make up for a poor shooting night (4 of 16). “Whether it’s fouls or not, that’s a whole other discussion. But he got to the free-throw line.”
Secondly, the Warriors’ shooting mostly mirrored Thompson’s jumper that got stuck between the rim and the backboard instead of the usual highlight reels.
The Warriors posted a season-low88 points on 40.2 percent shooting, marking the first time they posted under 90 points since March 11 against San Antonio when most of their stars rested.
With the Warriors trailing, 90-88, with 14 seconds left, Thompson inbounded the ball to forward Kevin Durant for a turnaround jumper that clanked off. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum then made two foul shots for a 92-88 cushion with six seconds left. Neither Thompson nor Stephen Curry could make shots on the next possession.
After usually making any shot that leaves his fingertips, Curry had nine points, while shooting only 3 of 14 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point range in his first game since nursing a right thigh contusion that sidelined him on Monday against Orlando. Curry insisted his thigh was “fine,” even if his game was not.
“I got all the shots I wanted. They just didn’t go down,” said Curry, who also had nearly as many turnovers (four) as assists (five). “You got to be able to do other things to help your team win.”
Lastly, the Warriors could not do that partly because Curry was not in a position to help his team win.
After Curry picked up his fourth foul as the Warriors led, 56-43, with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors initially managed just fine without him. But after holding a 66- 49 lead with 4:59 remaining, the Celtics closed out the period with a 19-2 run. During that time, the Warriors missed four shots and committed three turnovers. Meanwhile, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown posted 10 of his 22 points during that stretch.
“He was 7 for 18 for 22 points. On any other night, that’s pretty solid defense,” Durant said. “But for him, he’s not really an explosive scorer like us. So for him to knock down some shots, it kept him in the game.”
Thompson was equally dismissive afterwards on if the Celtics are the better team. Thompson noted “it takes a lot of basketball to get there.” But after seeing the Celtics’ start, a Bostonbased reporter predicted to Curry that the Warriors and Celtics will play in the NBA Finals in June.
“Very, very likely,” Curry said with a smirk. “They’re playing the best today in the East. They have to beat Cleveland, which has done it three years in a row. We’ll see. I heard the weather is great here in June, so we’ll see.”
We’ll also see by then if the Warriors correct some of the issues that prevented them from winning Game 1.