The inexperienced Boston Celtics spectacularly trumped Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors with an unbelievable fourth quarter comeback to claim a 120-108 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Francisco last night.
Boston star Jaylen Brown took over with 24 points while veteran Al Horford hit six three-pointers as the Celtics won the fourth quarter by a score of 40-16 to snatch the win from the jaws of defeat. It meant Golden State could not take advantage of Curry’s exceptional brilliance, with the 34-year-old - and two-time NBA MVP - scoring 21 points in the opening quarter.
The Warriors came into the match unbeaten at home in the NBA Playoffs so far (9-0), and the record looked set to continue as the Celtics struggled to keep pace with Golden State’s ball movement and shooting. However, Boston’s biggest strength is the defensive solidity, and they made key switches to allow Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart to make his imprint on the game, disrupting the Warriors' offensive balance.
Curry went on to score a game-high of 34 points in his first Finals clash in three years. His six threes in the opening 12 minutes were the most deep shots in any quarter in NBA Finals history, and his 21 points were the most since Michael Jordan’s 22 in the fourth quarter of Game 4 versus the Phoenix Suns in 1993.
However, the Warriors could not tighten their grip on the game even when leading 92-80 as they inexplicably collapsed late in the contest. It means Golden State will chase their fourth NBA championship in eight seasons from a one-game deficit.
“It's not ideal but I believe in who we are and how we deal with adversity, how we responded all year, how we respond in the playoffs after a loss,” Curry, who is looking to become the seventh player (after Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jordan, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James) to win at least four NBA titles and two MVP awards, reflected. “So learn a lot from that fourth quarter, obviously they made a lot of shots.
“It seemed like they didn't miss until deep into the fourth. When you have a team that just finds a little bit of momentum like they did and they keep making shots, it's tough to kind of regain that momentum.”
Ultimately though, the night belonged to the Celtics. With no player on their roster possessing Finals experience, it was up to 15-year veteran Horford - who turns 36 on Friday - to lead Boston into the championship wilderness.
The Dominican star had played in the most postseason games before playing in the NBA Finals in history (141) before making his debut on Thursday night, and he didn’t disappoint. Horford, who is more than five years older than any of his teammates, dropped 26 points to help lead Boston on their stunning fourth quarter comeback, from 15 points down.
The Celtics remarkably made each of their first seven attempts from deep to set the tempo in the fourth, and finished 9-of-12 in the final quarter as the three-point play paid off. Derrick White finished the game with 21 points as he shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc to give rookie head coach Ime Udoka the win.
Udoka is looking to become the fourth person in the last eight years to win an NBA championship as a rookie head coach, joining Nick Nurse (2018-19), Tyronn Lue (2015-16) and Warriors coach Steve Kerr (2014-15). The 44-year-old will be particularly impressed his side took the win on the road even when superstar Jayson Tatum was the only Celtic that struggled offensively as he shot 3-for-17 - but he did put up 13 assists.
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The Celtics were brilliant in the fourth, becoming the first team to be down in a Finals game by 10 or more points after three quarters and still win by 10 or more. It means they are 8-2 on the road in these playoffs, which bodes well ahead of Game 2. and the rest of the series.
White hit an unbelievable three-pointer over Curry with just under six minutes remaining to tie the game at 103 before Horford struck from deep to give Boston their first lead since half time. It was part of a 20-2 run to make it 117-103, and the incredible win was complete.
As for the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points in his Finals debut while Draymond Green snatched 11 rebounds, although he fouled out. Young star Jordan Poole struggled and put up just 9 points, and Klay Thompson could only contribute with 15 while he struggled to defend Brown.
The Warriors are 21-2 in previous Game 1s under Kerr, with the Celtics acting as the sole NBA team to have a winning record against the Bay Area team during his tenure as head coach with a 9-7 record. It bodes well for the Celtics ahead of Game 2 at Chase Center on Sunday night.
