The clover team stung the hearts of the Warriors by making three-point tiles in all directions in the last quarter: thus Boston awarded Golden State the first round of the NBA Finals on Thursday in San Francisco ( 120-108).
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The Celtics, in search of a record 18th title, hit hard from the start, since the Warriors had not yet lost a home game during the play-offs.
The Massachusetts players therefore regain the advantage of the floor.
And this after a demonstration of collective skill in the award-winning shots (9/12, 21/41 in the end) in the last twelve minutes which knocked out the Californians.
“
They made all of their big shots in this quarter.
We must give them credit for this.
They were simply brilliant and deserved the victory
,” admitted opposing coach Steve Kerr, whose team nevertheless had a fifteen-point lead in the third quarter, when they usually win their matches.
But Boston knows how to win his own in the last, many of his victories in the play-offs have demonstrated it, and responded like in a boxing match, to inflict a 40/16 on the helpless and disgusted Warriors.
Jaylen Brown sounded the revolt at the very beginning of this period by scoring ten points in a row, 24 in total (7 rebounds, 5 assists), which made his people pick up the score.
Reversal unlikely
Then the old grump Al Horford, the player who played the most play-off matches (141), without ever going to the final until this year, took over by adding 11 points, to finish with 26 ( at 9/12, 6 rebounds).
Derrick White, wisely recruited in the last hours of the transfer window, scored 21 points, before Marcus Smart, after a small air hole, he who had held the Celtics house in the first period, also got started (18 pts) .
“
Our players are tough guys and we can always know that we can count on our defense to pull ourselves together when necessary
,” stressed their coach Ime Udoka.
Fifteen minutes earlier, in a bubbling Chase Center which was discovering the thrills of a final, this reversal of the situation seemed unlikely, as the Celtics seemed physically borrowed, they who had only four days to recharge the batteries after eliminating Miami , against a week for the Warriors.
Because Golden State had pushed a second boost to take off in the wake of Stephen Curry, long the hero of this match which he finished top scorer 36 pts (at 12/25 5 rebounds, 5 assists).
His start was stratospheric.
Determined to spice up the debates, he who has never yet been named MVP of a final, the 34-year-old leader, he put on 21 points in the bag, including six award-winning baskets scored (out of 8 attempted), in these first twelve minutes.
Curry record
Record bonus, since never before him a player had achieved so much in the first quarter of a final.
The MVP of the regular season in 2015 and 2016 thus did better than Ray Allen - whom he overtook this winter in the ranking of the best three-point scorers in history -, Kenny Smith and... himself (5 ).
Despite this breathtaking performance, the Celtics were not that much overwhelmed by events, since they were four lengths (32-28) at the start of a second quarter during which their defense seriously deteriorated. tightened.
Curry could not keep up this crazy pace, since he did not score a point and at the break Boston passed in front (56-54), without Jayson Tatum, his driving force in attack, not particularly distinguishing himself, otherwise to the distribution (13 assists, 12 pts at 3/17).
Side Warriors, if Andrew Wiggins made his match (20 pts), Klay Thompson was too intermittent (15 pts, 6/14) without however demerit.
They just fell on stronger than them.
The last time Golden State lost a N.1 game at home in a final was three years ago, it was against Toronto.
And it had ended badly.
Reaction expected and even mandatory on Sunday.
