Summary clip of today's sports events, 1.2 (Sport1)
Boston has been looking like the best team in the NBA for a long time now.
Tonight (between Wednesday and Thursday) she also mentioned that she was probably also the hungriest group.
"It's clear as day that they're going all out for the championship. And they're not wasting time on it, not even a single moment. Even in the regular season," said Kyrie Irving who saw the Celtics dismantle his Nets, winning 96:139 in a display of purpose on both sides of the court.
After three days of rest, Boston had enough energy to attack who is marked as one of its main rivals in the East.
It ended with a historic first quarter, ending at 16:46 for the Celtics - the franchise's largest lead after one quarter since its inception.
Jayson Tatum scored more points in the quarter in question than all of Brooklyn combined, and then Jaylen Brown joined him to land the final knockout, and the two got more valuable minutes of rest in a final quarter that was all long garbage time.
The Nets were missing not only the offensive anchor Kevin Durant, but also the best guard on the team, Ben Simmons.
This had consequences on both sides of the court, when the Celtics focused on Kyrie Irving on defense and limited him to 20 points (1 of 7 from three), and on offense they did everything they could, showing that they are once again a well-oiled machine.
They were accurate at 57% from the field, including no less than 26 threes at 48%.
Tatum and Brown may not yet receive the full appreciation, but they can certainly already be declared a deadly duo, perhaps the deadliest in the league.
Tatum had 31 points and 9 rebounds, Brown 26, and it was the eighth time this season that both scored 25 points or more in the same game - the most of any duo in the league.
So what drives them?
The feeling of "insult", according to their friends, that they carry from the loss to Golden State in the final series of last season.
"They carry the team on their backs. They absorb the criticism, all the noise, but I really enjoy seeing how they respond to it in a healthy way," said center Robert Williams.
"There is a feeling that they are hungry, the hungriest I have ever seen them. And you know what? I think they are still angry about how last season ended."
Tatum, who is averaging 31.1 points per game this season and has already scored 30 or more in 29 games, feels that his upgrade is not only due to a mental desire for revenge, but also to a completely different level of physical skill.
"I feel just great physically. I don't need any rest," he says.
"In general, my body feels so much better this year compared to last season, and it's reflected on the field. I think a lot of us feel that way. It wasn't just that we looked so ready from the start of the game today, it wasn't just that we ended the first quarter like that."
More in Walla!
Boston trampled Brooklyn by 43 points.
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And while Boston decides games in the first quarter, the champion that beat them in the final series last season just can't hold on in the last quarters.
The 119:114 loss to Minnesota tonight, after overtime, contained the number 1 problem of the Warriors this season: they just don't know how to "kill" games.
Steph Curry and his friends recorded six losses this season in games in which they led by double digits in the last quarter, or by 4 points or more in the last minute.
Tonight they dropped an 11 lead at the start of the last quarter, were again dragged into overtime - and again lost.
Since 2018, Golden State has lost 15 of 17 games that have gone into overtime, including 3 of 4 such games this season.
In away games, the Warriors' losing streak in games that went to overtime stands at nine.
Steph Curry has already complained many times this season about the mistakes the team makes in the final quarters, when it is necessary to close games and secure victories - but the numbers show that he is part of the problem.
In the last two years, Kerry participated in five games that went into overtime, scoring only 7 points.
The percentages?
1 of 13 (!) from the field.
"The narrative around our team has changed. We used to win games like this easily, and today we get into trouble, and lose again and again in close games," admits Kerry.
"I have to lead and take a lot of responsibility on myself, because I can't make the team improve in this area."
As mentioned, this was not the only crash of the Warriors this season, and it seems that this is already a ritual.
The Vienna team that previously enjoyed countless winning moves by Kerry, an extraordinary source of inspiration from Klay Thompson and clutch defensive stops from Draymond Green, simply cannot bring their experience to bear.
"This game, like other games this season, was in our hands. I think today we just gave Minnesota the victory as a gift, well wrapped," says Steve Kerr.
"We didn't close for the rebound. We lost unnecessary balls. We took really difficult shots. Everything we did to control the game, disappeared in the important moments. We don't execute our things. It sounds like a cliché, but it's the truth. To win, you have to execute" .
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Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
