By: Nina Samone
At the Chase Center on Thursday, June 2nd, it seemed to everyone that Golden State was going to claim Game 1 of the NBA finals after a not-so-perfect third quarter from the Boston Celtics.
That all change at the start of the fourth quarter, when Boston shocked everyone by firing off from beyond the arc and connecting on their first seven 3-pointers of the quarter – propelling them to a 120-108 win in San Francisco.
Boston is now the first team in NBA history to pull off a double-digit win after entering the fourth quarter trailing by double digits.
The Celtics have been notorious for terrible third quarter performances – this game was no different as they committed five turnovers and were outscored 38-24.
Golden State fans were celebrating their team’s performance, but the Celtics were not giving up. “The message at the start of the fourth was, ‘We’ve been here before,’” said Jayson Tatum. “We know what it takes to overcome a deficit like that.”
Tatum recently earned Eastern Conference finals MVP honors, but was held to only twelve points – shooting just 3-of-17 – after facing aggressive defense, including a box-and-one. His thirteen assists were game changing for the Celtics.
Despite the excitement of the win, the focus now is all on Game 2 and making adjustments to continue their streak.
“We can’t get too high and we can’t get too low. We played very well, but we have to match that energy the next game, and we understand that,” said Marcus Smart.
The Celtics will face off for Game 2 with Golden State on Sunday, January 5th.
Sources:
Ward-Henninger, Colin. June 3rd, 2022. CBS. “NBA Finals: How Celtics won Game 1 by giving Warriors, Stephen Curry taste of their own medicine.” <https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-finals-how-celtics-won-game-1-by-giving-warriors-stephen-curry-taste-of-their-own-medicine/>
Bontempts, Tim. June 2022. ESPN. “’Resilient’ Boston Celtics make first seven 3-pointers in 4th quarter to rally and stun Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of NBA Finals.”
