Boston had a 4 percent chance of winning.
Then the stars "did what they always do"
The Celtics are confident that the historic final quarter was not accidental, celebrating Horford's special evening and explaining: Despite the lukewarm offensive performance, Taitum provided a "masterpiece".
So why is Golden State still so confident in itself?
Drama summary in the first game of the final series
Walla!
sport
03/06/2022
Friday, 03 June 2022, 08:01
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Boston players after the victory in Game 1 of the final (from Twitter)
At the end of the third quarter, the betting agencies in the United States gave Boston only a 4 percent chance of winning Game 1 of the Finals Series.
The Celtics were 15 points behind, and seemed at a loss in the face of the Golden State dynamic offense.
But then the unbelievable happened: the Celtics woke up, completed a tremendous 0:17 run, finished the final quarter at 16:40 (!) To their credit, and celebrated all the way to a 108: 120 away win, which stole the Warriors' home run.
The final quarter was exceptional on a historic scale: no team has ever lost in the NBA Finals by 24 points in the quarter - certainly not in the final quarter.
In that sense, it's an unprecedented breakdown for the Warriors, but the Celtics are sure that for them, they're just playing the way they used to.
"It's our identity for the whole season. It's what we do. It's what these players know how to do," Celtics coach Aima Yuduka boasted.
"We have a tough and strong team that does not give up, who always knows it can rely on its defense to come back from behind. When it comes to such a good attacking group. "
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Boston stunned with 105: 120 over Golden State, and climbed to a 0: 1 lead in the final
To the full article
"That's what they do."
Smart Celebrates (Photo: GettyImages, Alex Goodlett)
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All the players who stepped on the floor in those minutes contributed to Boston, but above all stood the good old Horford, who was the living spirit behind the comeback and turnaround and starred in a particularly exciting game for him.
Tomorrow Horford will celebrate his 36th birthday, and for the first time after 141 playoff appearances - he finally has one appearance in the final as well.
His 26 points in the game prove that he is not only satisfied with appearing on the big stage, but is also determined to win it.
"I've been waiting for this moment for many years," Horford admitted at the end, happy with the birthday present he had received.
"It's true I did not play in the NBA Finals, but I did play in the College Finals and other important playoff games. For me, there is not much difference."
Horford thanked his teammates for "continuing to find me again and again in comfortable places. I got the right looks, and I scored. That's all."
"No one deserves to be here more than once. He deserves it, Big Time," complimented Marcus Smart.
"We knew it would only be a matter of time before we got such a big game from him. He was our executor in many difficult and important moments this season."
A perfect birthday gift.
Horford (Photo: GettyImages, Thearon W. Henderson)
The Celtics are encouraged by the win mainly in light of the fact that it was achieved on a very lukewarm offensive day by Jason Taitum, who finished with 12 points and scored just 3 of 17 from the field.
On the other hand, Taitum showed a lot of responsibility and maturity when he managed to contribute in other aspects, especially in the management of the game.
He finished with a career-high 13 assists, and continued the trend: Out of 19 games this season in which Taitum has handed out 7 assists or more, the Celtics have won by 17.
Taitum has not even scored a single field goal in the last three quarters of the game, and in the last quarter has not scored from the penalty spot either - but still managed to influence the game for the better, and did not ruin it.
"All year I try to teach Jason to influence the game even when his shot doesn't come in. Tonight, it was his masterpiece in that respect," Aima Yudoka boasted.
"He kept excellent, he managed the game. He found ways to change the game on both sides, even without scoring."
CJ McCollum knows: Winning such a Taitum game is a statement
A story of two quarters
Paul Pierce was thrilled
On the other hand, Golden State is trying to convey confidence, despite the moral blow.
Much more will be said about the Warriors' terrible final quarter, but for Drymond Green, this game is actually a good sign for the sequel.
"We were the dominant team in this game for 41 or 42 minutes. We'll be fine," he said, repeating the data, and the mantra: "They scored 21 three-pointers with Horford, Smart and Derek White signing 15 of them. 15 of 23 of those three players "It's unusual. We'll be fine."
"It's really not a blow to our confidence. We're lagging behind in the series, and for us it's an opportunity to do it a little differently. We embrace this challenge," Green said.
Even Clay Thompson still fills with faith and confidence, claiming that "I just know we will be better later in the series. We must be better, especially after such an 'ugly' loss, which happened that way. I still believe we have good chances in this series."
Between security and arrogance runs a thin rope.
Lonnie, Thompson, Wiggins and Kerry are frustrated on the bench (Photo: GettyImages, Ezra Shaw)
Steph Kerry, who scored 21 points in the first quarter and finished with 34, admitted that "it's not an ideal situation, but we continue to believe in ourselves. It's the advantage you have when you gain experience in such positions - you know who you are, and you know what you are capable of. I just know "We find ourselves in situations like this, and aware of how we face difficulties. We have a lot to learn from this last quarter, and we will do it."
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Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
