Celtics. Better D plus they beat two teams in Miami and Milwaukee better than any team the Warriors beat en route to the finals. Celtics stars all in their prime. Warriors stars all on the wrong side of 30. Steph playing great but he cannot do it all himself, particularly on D. Andrew Wiggins not the difference-maker Horford can be.
This is the NBA. Making too big a deal about one game is a mistake. Watching the 3rd quarter you’d never give the Celtics a chance. Watching the 4th, you’d never give GS a chance. I suspect the whole series will be like this game to game. GS has won at least one road game in every playoff series they’ve played since 2015. Warriors win in 7.
this.... often when two evenly matched teams face each other, surprisingly, there are periods within a game, where one team dominates, then the other team dominates.
or
one team dominates one game, and then the other team dominates the next game. Look at the Phoenix-Dallas series. Very few lead changes the whole series. None of the games came down to the end. Most of the games were blow outs. It went 7.
I had Celtics in 6 before game one but not I’m tempted to say Celtics in 5 just for the swag value.
anyway, the Celtics defense really went into high gear in that fourth quarter. Saw them switch away from the drop coverage pretty quick after Steph Curry got going in the first quarter.
They did a great job pressing and showing on high screens while their bigs (Al Horford and Rob Will) displayed a defensive masterclass. Everyone who thought Horford would get played off the floor this series is in for a big surprise.
I also like how they’re playing Draymond, knowing he can’t score at a high level anymore they’re bringing help defenders off of him to protect the rim and occupy space. Those Iguodala/Draymond lineups absolutely killed the Warriors- Boston shrank the floor on them immediately and the Celtics Bigs are too good inside for the warriors to survive without constantly running lineups that have at least 4 long range shooters to bring defenders to the outside.
Big thing to look for in game 2 is the warriors defensive coverage and how it affects Tatum. They were comfortable loading up on the ball when he’s at the top of the key, but since he made the right pass time after time (12 assists) and only turned the ball over twice the whole game one has to assume they’d switch up their defensive scheme and maybe try and have Wiggins(?) stay on or close to him in single coverage. I don’t think the warriors can run a zone anymore after Boston shot so well from the 3pt line.
we’re going to get a real interesting series here since this Boston team can both hammer the boards and get tough baskets in the paint AND clip 3’s at a high rate. I wonder how Steve Kerr will respond. This Boston team is very similar to teams that have given golden state trouble in the past.
Celtics are bigger and stronger. A great defensive team yet they still have three guys that will put up 20+ points consistently. The east was a much tougher conference this year. Celtics in 6.
Steve Kerr is too busy campaigning his political agenda. I actually agree with his political agenda. But he’s a freakin basketball coach and should just shut up.
GS wins the 3rd quarter 38-24. Boston wins the 4th quarter 40-16.
How does that happen in the same game?
Boston’s advantage is depth and defense. They have multiple people that can step up.
The Warriors advantage is they are completely unstoppable when they are hot. They can put pressure on the other team to keep scoring. Draymond Green shot 2 for 12 for 4 points. That’s just terrible.
Now it’s about adjustments. I’m not a Celtics fan but I’m really impressed with their coach. He is very level.
Turning into an interesting series. I guess Steph is not completely over the hill yet.
Steph should be the mvp, win or lose. Without a doubt he’s the best person on the floor, the dominant force. Jaylen Brown is great, but Tatum is one of those superstars who disappears when it’s crunch time. He’s a front runner.
The Golden State Warriors through 5 games in many ways play as I stated they would play. Steve Kerr has done a fantastic job of altering the lineup in the proper manner. G.S. made only about 25% of 3 point shots but still won. It is not unusual for S. Curry to fade away in later games in N.B.A. finals. S. Curry has zero N.B.A. final m.v.p. awards for a reason.
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