NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors bounce back as the Boston Celtics’ standards fall

The Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green – the engine of this championship dynasty team – suggested after their Game 1 loss in the NBA Finals that Boston Celtics’ shooting was not sustainable. Green was proven right as the Warriors took Game 2 at the Chase Centre, winning 107-88 on Sunday to even the series 1-1.
Boston’s shooting regresses
In Game 1, Derrick White, Al Horford and Marcus Smart combined for 15/23 from three-point range. The trio took 23 shots from across the perimeter on Game 2 as well but could only make six this time. Boston shot a healthy 40.5 percent from dance – the same as the Warriors – but it was way below the 50 percent that won them Game 1.
Their shooting from two-point range also regressed from over 50 percent in Game 1 to 37.5 percent in Game 2. The Warriors, on the other hand, shot a healthy 45.3 percent from two-pointers on the back of a barrage of pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Third-quarter throwback
Throughout this incredible decade of dominance of the Warriors, one standout feature that defines their reign has been their explosion in the third quarter. Some of the greatest moments in Warriors’ hory have come when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson let loose first at the Oracle Arena and now at the Chase Centre. Three-pointer after three-pointer builds up a crescendo, egged on a formerly Oakland and now San Francisco crowd. Opposition teams get lost in the noise – the makes and turnovers build up and before one knows it, the Warriors have pulled far away.

Goodnight, #DubNation pic.twitter.com/PZJG93VZy2
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 6, 2022
Game 2 saw the home team pull out all their classics. Celtics were only two points behind at half-time but lost the third quarter 35-14 to concede a 23-point lead. And there were no fourth-quarter heroics this time like the 40-16 drubbing in Game 1 that they handed GSW.
Warrior woes
In two NBA Final Games, the Warriors have taken all but one quarter. That one quarter lost was when the Celtics overperformed. And yet, this iteration of GSW is nowhere close to being perfect. This is partly because of Thompson’s shooting woes.
In these two Finals games, he has shot 10-of-33 (30%) while only making 4 of his 15 attempted three-pointers. Thompson returned this season from back-to-back Achilles and knee injuries that kept him out for two seasons. The reason Warriors need Thompson to start firing soon is because of the calibre of this Celtics team. Boston have a 6-0 record following a loss in the NBA Playoffs.
Most of the attempts that Thompson has made, be it from mid-range or from the perimeter, have been attempts that the shooter is known to make. Despite the Celtics being the best defensive team in the regular season, Thompson has had time and space to pull his shots off but has not been able to do so.
Boston in turnover hell
Boston’s game on Sunday was marred 18 turnovers. What made it worse was that the Warriors converted those turnovers into 33 points. In the third quarter, Boston made more turnovers (5) than shots (4).
Four turnovers came at the hands of Jayson Tatum. Despite improving from a 12-point performance in Game 1, Tatum’s 28 points came from 2/10 shooting from two-point range.

Jayson Tatum was -36 tonight.
The worst +/- any player in a Finals game in the play–play era. pic.twitter.com/RaUrCh93vk
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 6, 2022
Celtics point guard Smart finished the game with 2 points on 1/6 shooting and no trips to the free throw line. He conceded five turnovers, a Celtic high. Smart and Horford, who had combined for 44 points in Game 1, mustered 4 points in Game 2.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals takes place at the TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday, 6:30 AM .