Category: Sports

Despite being up by as many as 15 points in Game 1, Golden State still couldn’t close the deal in the fourth quarter and are now down 1-0 after losing to the Boston Celtics, 120-108.

Stephen Curry deserves a lot of credit for the Warriors leading for much of the game after scoring 34 points, five rebounds, and five assists. His 21 points in the first quarter were the most scored in a quarter in the NBA Finals since Michael Jordan had 22 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns in 1993. 

Curry’s six three-pointers also set a Finals record for most triples in a single quarter; the previous record was five made triples in a quarter. He shared the record with Ray Allen and Kenny Smith.

However, despite the spectacular exploits of the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, the Boston Celtics were never too far behind through the first three-quarters of Game 1. Yes, they were down by 15 at one point in the third quarter, but the Celtics were routinely able to cut any deficit down, tying the game up five times and exchanging leads up to nine.

Boston bided its time until the final frame, knocking down their first seven three-point attempts to outscore the Warriors 40-16. The onslaught was led by Jaylen Brown (24 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Al Horford (26 points, six boards, and a Finals-debut record six threes), who scored a combined 21 points to help Boston retake the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Horford scored 14 points during Boston’s decisive 17-0 run to take Game 1, giving Boston a lead it wouldn’t give up after scoring eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers late in the fourth quarter. Boston also kept Golden State scoreless for nearly five minutes as they scored 17 unanswered, only ceding two meaningless field goals to Klay Thompson and Nemanja Bjelica over the final 69 seconds of the game.

“They gotta good defense,” Draymond Green (four points, 11 rebounds, five dimes), “We knew that coming in. There was no surprises; we know what they wanna get to on the defensive side and how they like to play; they know what we’re tryna get to. So, yeah, no surprises, they are who we thought they were, and now we’ll watch the clips, watch the film and figure out what we need to do to attack it.”

Green elaborated a bit more on his thoughts a moment later during his press conference. In his eyes, the Warriors were dominant for as much as “the first 41, 42 minutes” of the game. However, Golden State trailed in the first half at one point, and their most dominant stretch came in the third quarter when they built a 15-point lead and outscored the Celtics by 14 points.

Green also pointed out that Boston hit 21 three-pointers in Game 1, the bulk of which came from Horford, Marcus Smart, and Derrick White, who hit a combined 15 long-range bombs. Green directly downplayed the hot shooting of Smart and White, saying:

“They hit 21 threes, and Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Derrick White combined for 15,” Green said. “Those guys are good shooters, but they combined for what, 15 out of eight, Smart seven, eight, 15-23. Is my math right? Eight, seven, and eight. Eight, seven, and eight. Yea, that’s 23, right? 15-for-23 from those guys. Eh. We’ll be fine.”

To counterpoint, Horford went from hitting 33.6 percent of his regular-season three-point attempts to improving that mark to 46.3 percent in the playoffs. White was shooting 20.8 percent from deep before catching fire over the last three games, managing to hit 11 out of his previous 18 three-point attempts, good enough for a 61.1 percent clip over his last three outings. Smart is hitting threes at a 34.5 percent clip also.

“They stayed within striking distance, and they made shots late,” Green said. “We’ll be fine. We’ll figure out the ways we can stop them from getting those threes and take them away. I don’t think it was a rhythm thing. We pretty much dominated the game for the first 41, 42 minutes, so we’ll be fine.”

Regardless, the championship core of the Warriors and Coach Steve Kerr will have some time in between now and Game 2 to readjust and formulate a new game plan. The Warriors will look to tie the series up and retake home-court advantage with a win Game 2 win on Sunday before the series shifts to TD Garden in Boston.

The last time Al Horford was on the national stage with this much on the line was during his time in college when he was fighting to win back-to-back national titles with Florida back in 2007. After 15 years in the NBA, Horford is finally back on that championship stage with the Celtics.

It’s almost as if Horford knew this was going to happen. In a way, you could sorta say he did. When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Horford back to Boston last summer, one of the first things he did was text Jayson Tatum to let him know he saw the Celtics’ potential and was looking forward to playing in the Finals.

“It’s one of these things that I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Horford said, “I know it’s different, but I played in a similar stage in college. Those type of games, I just felt comfortable out here, and I wanted to project that to the group.”

“I wanted to make sure that our guys came out here, play free, understand that this is just a game, and just go out there and have fun.”

Horford played a pivotal role in Boston’s 120-108 come-from-behind win over the Warriors. The five-time All-Star finished Game 1 with a team-high 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists on a Finals-debut record 6-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

The former Florida Gator choose the fourth quarter to shine the brightest in Boston’s win. Horford scored 11 points in the final frame, including back-to-back triples and a mid-range jumper, to give the Celtics a lead they would never give up. Horford’s key three-pointers powered a decisive 17-0 run that allowed Boston to outscore the Warriors 40-16 in the fourth.

“It was the way that we were moving the ball on offense,” Horford said per NBCSports. “Just being in those positions, I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time. Derrick White hit some tough shots there too. Get some looks, knock ’em down, that’s that.”

Boston didn’t allow a single Warrior field goal for nearly five minutes during that game-altering run. The Celtics’ shocking win to steal home-court advantage came on a night when Horford and Jaylen Brown (24 points, seven rebounds, five assists)had to carry the scoring load due to Tatum’s jumper being off on Thursday.

Even as Golden State built a lead as large as 15 through the first three-quarters, Boston was right there, bidding their time until they could strike. When they did, Golden State had no answers for Horford or Brown, who scored a combined 21 points when it mattered the most in Game 1.

“The group that started the fourth quarter, I think, did a great job setting the tone,” Horford said. “Jaylen attacking, Rob got a lob dunk, and that just kinda got us going, and from that point on, we felt like we’re gonna stay solid continue to fight, and that’s what we did.”

Horford’s confident prediction has come true nearly one year after that fateful trade. Boston is indeed back in the Finals after a grueling revenge tour through the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics beat the Nets, Bucks, and Heat on their way to their first Finals trip since 2010. After Thursday’s Game 1 win, Horford has the Celtics in the driver’s seat, up 1-0 on the Warriors.

The Celtics and Warriors will play again on Sunday in Chase Center, with Boston looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to TD Garden.

Even as Golden State continued to build their lead through the first 36 minutes of action, Boston never gave up. The Warriors did everything correctly through the first three-quarters of the game, hitting 17-35 three-pointers and leading by as much as 15 points going into the fourth-quarter.

But Boston never stopped coming back at them. The team with no previous Finals experience outlasted the three-time champs with their defensive tenacity and a substantial fourth-quarter performance from Jaylen Brown (24 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Al Horford (26 points and six rebounds).

Brown and Horford combined to score 20 points in the fourth; Brown started the festivities off, leading Boston to a 12-2 run, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 94-92 after he knocked down a three-pointer with 8:22 left in the game. Horford then took over just a few moments later, hitting back-to-back triples to give Boston a lead they would never surrender.

“JB is special,” Derrick White (21 points in 32 minutes) said. “Some of the shots he makes, the moves he makes, it’s just hard to guard, and it’s fun to watch. I’m glad I’m on his team. He’s one of the best players in the League for a reason, and he’s always making plays for us.

Horford’s game-altering buckets were a part of a game-sealing 17-0 Boston run. The Celtics held the Warriors to zero field goals for nearly five minutes, holding Stephen Curry (35 points, five rebounds, five assists) to just four points in the final frame. Boston ultimately outscored the Warriors 40-16 in the fourth, assisting on 12 of their 15 field goals.

“The group that started the fourth quarter, I think, did a great job setting the tone,” Horford said. “Jaylen attacking, Rob got a lob dunk, and that just kinda got us going, and from that point on, we felt like we’re gonna stay solid continue to fight, and that’s what we did.”

Game 2 between the Warriors and the Celtics will be back in Chase Center on Sunday, with the Warriors looking to tie the Finals up at 1-1 before the series shifts to Boston.

The 75th season of the NBA is nearing its end, with the NBA Finals starting on Thursday. The Warriors, for the first time since their tough 2019 loss to the Warriors. Their 2022 Finals appearance will be their sixth trip to the Finals since 2015. This is the Boston Celtics’ first title series appearance since 2010 when they lost to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Boston enters the Finals after beating the Nets, Bucks, and Heat, who each beat the Celtics during the last three postseasons. The Celtics were able to make this run despite a slow start to the season. Boston went .500 over the first 50 games of the season but won after 26 of their last 32 games, finishing the season with the best defensive rating in the League.

The Warriors beat the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Mavericks during their run to the Finals. They finished the regular-season with a 53-29 record, good for third in the West. They’ve had a season of triumph with Stephen Curry breaking the all-time record for made three-pointers and creating the 3k club and the happy return of Klay Thompson following 942 days away from the hardwood.

They also had to deal with injuries to Curry and Green that almost knocked them off the top of the West, but the emergence of Jordan Poole and some timely big games from Thompson helped them stave off any trouble.

The regular-season series between the Warriors and Celtics ended in a 1-1 tie, with both teams winning their home games; Boston won the last matchup 110-88, but the Warriors were missing Andrew Wiggins, and Curry suffered a foot sprain that night that sidelined him until Game 1 of the first-round after colliding with Marcus Smart as the two fought for a loose ball.

Can Golden State Solve Boston’s Defense?

Boston has the top-ranked defense remaining in the Finals and is designed to stop the chaotic motion offense of the Warriors. The Celtics’ ability to wear teams out physically and their switchablity is why they became the best defense in the League.

On the other side, the Dubs are the top-ranked offense in the playoffs, scoring 116.1 points per game—up to four points from what they scored during the regular season. The main question will be, can Golden State rely on their typical offensive actions going against a defense that’s been excellent at stopping superstar scorers like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Golden State will have to exploit Boston’s mistakes whenever they can, shooting if Boston plays drop-in pick-and-roll, taking advantage whenever Boston blitzes off those same actions, or making the most of cross-matches whenever they present themselves.

Can Brown and Tatum Limit Their Turnovers and Tatum Exploiting Mismatches

Boston struggled when Tatum and Brown were flimsy with the ball this postseason. The All-Star duo committed 54 turnovers in their six losses, turning the ball over a combined 5.9 turnovers per game. A team like Golden State will take advantage of those mistakes.

On the other end, Boston will continue to thrive on Tatum hunting mismatches against the Warriors, mainly when Curry or Poole are switched on him whether it’s shooting over defenders or whipping the ball around so that Boston can attack Golden State when Boston has a 4-on-3 advantage.

Coach Steve Kerr’s solution may be to mix different coverages against Tatum, likely doubling, switching, and mixing in some zone looks like the Warriors used against Luka Doncic. The question will then be if Derrick White, Smart, and Brown can knock down the shots Tatum creates for them.

X-FACTOR

Golden State’s biggest x-factor will have to be the two-way play of Andrew Wiggins. As a member of the Warriors, Wiggins has emerged as an All-Star after thriving as a third option scorer. His shot creation, defensive versatility, and offensive rebound make him one of Golden State’s most indispensable players. Wiggins will have to take on Tatum on one end and then make the most of his opportunities against a physical defense that thrives at reducing ball movement and forcing some iso play.

Robert Williams occupies the other x-factor spot. The Time Lord’s shot-blocking at the rim and perimeter has been invaluable when healthy. Against the Warriors, Williams will have to stay engaged against the screening, cutting, and direct handoff actions from players like Green, Looney, and Payton. On the offensive end, Williams is a primetime lob threat.

With the NBA Finals beginning tonight, illustrious sneaker designer and artist Tinker Hatfield has teamed up with Michelob ULTRA to reveal yet another beautiful design from his one-of-a-kind mind.

“Well, I did last year’s bottle, which was kind of like a net draped over the actual net,” Hatfield tells SLAM over a Zoom interview. “The hoop was draped over the bottle. And I thought, well, it was just a quick read from a distance that you could, ‘Oh, that bottle’s got a net on it and oh yeah, the net of course, the cut-down the net. So only the winners get to do that. And so I’m like, well, that one worked out okay. That worked out well because it was very recognizable. And then I was just thinking as they asked me to do the same thing, that another talked about, lusted after, often photographed part of winning a championship is the actual ring that they get made. You know, Michael Jordan has six and there’s a beautiful poster of him with all his rings on his fingers. And I just think that just was a spectacular kind of photoshoot. But really, the rings are really in and of themselves kind of interesting. And obviously they don’t come along very often. So I thought, well, let’s basically print up a ring around the bottle and have the first one be the net bottle, and the second one is now the ring bottle. And [you] only get a ring when you win. I had to design a ring.”

This year’s Finals are coinciding with the NBA’s 75th anniversary season, which is prompting Tinker and Michelob to drop 75 limited-edition Championship Bottles in the winning team’s city. Those 75 winners will also get an NFT cooked up by Tinker.

The legend laughs and tells us that while it was an interesting challenge to design a ring, he’s not planning on giving up his day job at any point.

“I kind of hope that no one calls me up to design their ring for them,” Hatfield laughs. “I have enough stuff to do.”