The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics every earned a blowout win within the first two video games of the 2022 NBA Finals in San Francisco. Tensions had been all the time going to be excessive because the collection moved to Boston for Recreation 3 — and that was even earlier than the Warriors seen their rim was two inches too excessive throughout warmups.
The Celtics had been locked in from the opening tip. Boston held an 11-point benefit after the primary quarter, and outscored the Warriors by one level within the second quarter. In fact, the Warriors got here roaring again within the third quarter as they all the time do. That set the stage for an exciting fourth quarter.
The Celtics dominated the fourth quarter to run away with a 116-100 win in Recreation 3. Boston now holds a 2-1 lead within the collection.
Jaylen Brown carried the Celtics’ offense early, and completed with 27 factors, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists on the evening. Jayson Tatum added 26 factors within the win.
Listed below are three issues we discovered from the Celtics’ Recreation 3 win.
The Celtics’ position gamers went off
When the Celtics gained Recreation 1 of the collection, the trio of Al Horford, Marcus Sensible, and Derrick White carried them to victory by getting sizzling from three-point vary. When Golden State gained Recreation 2, Boston’s position gamers had an off-night whereas Jayson Tatum carried the scoring load.
In Recreation 3, Boston’s position gamers once more gained it for the Celtics. Sensible, Horford, and White had been all worthwhile contributors as soon as once more, and this time Grant Williams stepped up off the bench, too.
Sensible was excellent specifically, ending with 24 factors, seven rebounds, and 5 assists within the win. There’s nothing Golden State can do when he’s hitting pictures like this.
Warriors swap Curry on to Tatum once more. Wiggins pursues to double and kick Curry out of the matchup. Nice rotation to get well. The reward is Marcus Sensible doing this. pic.twitter.com/0l0trvvENU
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) June 9, 2022
Horford solely had two factors on 1-of-4 capturing in Recreation 2. Whereas the veteran huge man’s Recreation 3 numbers didn’t bounce off the web page — he completed with 11 factors, eight rebounds, and 6 assists on the evening — he was constantly in the appropriate spot for Boston, and added simply sufficient scoring punch to maintain the Celtics’ offense shifting.
Even on an evening the place Brown had it going early and Tatum made some huge baskets late, it felt just like the success of the Celtics’ position gamers was the important thing to the win.
Draymond Inexperienced struggled once more for the Warriors
Draymond Inexperienced has all the time felt like a harbinger for Golden State’s success since their first title run in 2015. It’s inconceivable to measure Inexperienced’s affect by trying on the field rating numbers: he’s the emotional middle of the Warriors on and off the ground, in addition to a masterful defender and artful playmaker.
Inexperienced is normally the kind of participant who will get within the head of the opposite staff. In Recreation 3, it felt just like the Celtics had been in Inexperienced’s head.
Inexperienced completed the evening with two factors on 1-of-4 capturing in 35 minutes. Inexperienced fouled out with simply over 4 minutes remaining within the sport.
This wasn’t Inexperienced’s first dangerous sport of the collection. When the Celtics gained Recreation 1, Inexperienced completed with 4 factors on 2-of-12 capturing.
Inexperienced is 32 years previous now, and he was by no means the largest or most athletic participant in his prime. He’s all the time gained with intelligence and craft. He has a particularly robust matchup towards an enormous and athletic Boston entrance line, and thus far he’s not giving the Warriors sufficient manufacturing within the collection.
The Celtics’ measurement benefit is paying off
The Celtics are simply a lot greater than the Warriors. This has been evident from the beginning of the collection, nevertheless it was particularly apparent in Recreation 3.
Boston pounded the Warriors on the offensive glass with a 15-6 margin. The Celtics gained the general rebounding battle, 47-30. Between Robert Williams, Grant Williams, and Horford, the Celtics have three huge, robust, and versatile entrance court docket gamers with distinct offensive talent units. The Warriors simply usually appear too small.
Golden State merely has no reply for Williams’ size and bounce on the rim. The Miami Warmth had the identical drawback within the Japanese Convention Finals. Williams has been enjoying by way of knee ache, however nonetheless had 4 blocks and three steals on the evening.
Even a hobbled Williams is giving Inexperienced and the Warriors critical issues.
Golden State isn’t going to get any greater between now and the tip of the collection. It’s on the Warriors to discover a technique to fight Boston’s measurement benefit.
