Once upon a time, before the age of VOD and streaming, it was customary for a TV series to continue to be filmed even while the season was already running on TV.
This allows producers to respond while moving to audience, critics, and ratings responses.
With Netflix, for example, this of course does not happen that way - and every season that "drops" is a finished work.
Luckily at least sports have not yet aligned with these norms.
And so, after already in the early stages of the 2022 NBA Finals series between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics it felt like the teams gave us viewers just about everything we wanted to get and it was hard to imagine how more they could surprise - things certainly kept twisting to take new forms The audience has expressed its position on the developments, and here, the groups respond in motion to make sure the audience gets exactly what they want.
For example, everyone wondered when Jason Taitum would come back to himself offensively.
So here, in Game 5 (Tuesday morning, 94: 104 to the Warriors, who went up to 2: 3 in the series) he did not manage to prevent the loss but for the first time in the series he reached 50% of the field, on the way to a game of 27-10-4.
It's something too.
For example, Jordan Paul started the series weak, so in the two wins in games 4-5 he contributed a cumulative 28 points in good percentages from all ranges.
Thompson vs. Smart.
Kerry owed the help of his good friend, Photo: -USA TODAY Sports
For example, we wondered if Jaylen Brown could make another step up and continue to cover Taitum's relative weakness - so in Game 5 he gave an answer that probably hasn't yet, with 5 of 18 from the field and more assists.
There was also a lot of talk about Clay Thompson, who scored just 26 points in games 1-2, including 1 of 8 for three in the second game.
Everyone was wondering when he would get back to himself - and whether he would have to wait until Game 6 for him to give up his traditional explosion.
So since Game 3 he is on 14 of 34 for three in 3 games (41%) and 21.3 points per game.
Not an explosion, but just the help everyone said Steph Kerry must start getting.
And of course, above all, Kerry himself.
After 25 of 51 for three in the first 4 games, led by a historic display in Game 4, the talk was not only about the help his teammates must start giving him, but about the fact that it does not make sense for him to continue scoring at such a pace.
And when the game comes where it does not hurt, will the Warriors be able to avoid a safe loss in such a situation.
Then, just exactly to order, it happened.
In Game 5, at home, Kerry finished for the first time in his career a playoff game without a three - and he tried 9 of those without success.
He scored just 16 points on 7 of 22 from the field.
and what happened?
Well, what can you expect to happen in a home game in the playoffs - a host of complementary players from the host team have given this one game that they will tell the grandchildren about.
A sub-display that can win a championship.
It's not just Thompson's 21 and Paul's 14 (in 50% of the field and 8 of 17 for three).
It's also the 16 points on 6-of-8 from Gary Peyton II, who alongside five rebounds and 3 steals, was a plus 16 in the 26 minutes he played, contributing judgment, composure, energy, and supreme defense.
The fact that he managed to come back from the injury he suffered earlier in this playoffs alone is a surprise, and his ability is a welcome bonus for Steve Kerr.
Green celebrates with JAY Z, Photo: EP
But if that wasn’t enough - and alone, it really wasn’t enough - came freaking Andrew Wiggins, and with a big second game in a row surpassed even a 17-16 (plus 20) display from Game 4, with 26 points (the most at Golden State), again a contribution Great on the rebound (13), 2 steals, a block, and an excellent percentage for 2 (12 of 17), even though he also caught a weak day off the arc with 0 of 6.
Precisely the fact that he did not let these mistakes affect him, continued to keep great possession after possession, and on offense went to the basket again and again and provided critical points in excellent percentages - this is perhaps the biggest surprise right now in the context of one of the most infamous players in the league. For character and toughness.
With their win tonight, the @warriors trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson now have the most wins in the #NBAFinals (20) by a trio over the last 30 years!
# NBA75 pic.twitter.com/q7CP8wlp2r
- NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2022
In the final quarter he provided no less than 5 out of 5 perfections out of the point, taking advantage of the space Kerry produces even on a horrific shooting day, and he did it all when he was 43 minutes on the floor - Kerr did not give anyone more minutes.
So what do we have left now?
What voices will the groups listen to now, and what will they give us that we have not yet seen?
Well, the answer is easy: another great Wiggins show, on the way to the series' MVP.
Say no.
Were we wrong?
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