The Celtics come back in the fourth quarter and surprise the Warriors in the first game of the NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics saved the best for last, with a huge comeback in the fourth quarter to surprise the Golden State Warriors 120-108 in the first game of the NBA Finals.
After a back-and-forth game, Boston ended up winning by a comfortable margin, thanks to a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that allowed them to take the lead at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
According to ESPN, it was the second-longest scoring streak in the fourth quarter of a Finals game in the last 50 seasons.
Al Horford led the Celtics with 26 points, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Jayson Tatum had a double-double of 12 points and 13 assists. Derrick White added 21 points off the bench.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his players were “down,” but made a point to give credit to Boston.
“You want to go out and win the first one,” Kerr told the media.
“We had every opportunity, 12 points ahead going into the fourth. The guys are discouraged, as expected. But it’s a seven-game series for a reason. I think you have to give Boston credit. They came and won the victory. They played a great fourth quarter. We’ll come in, watch the film and see where we can improve, and you know, it’s a game.”
Everything started very well for the Warriors.
The team’s talisman, Steph Curry, scored 21 points in the first quarter, setting a new record for three-pointers made in a single quarter in the NBA Finals.
Thanks to the success of Curry, who finished with 34 points, Golden State had an 87-72 lead with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter.
But then, with their tough defense and resilient offense, the Celtics came back.
Boston finished the game on a 48-18 run – including a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter – to surprise the Warriors on their home court and take a potentially vital 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
While the loss will be a blow to Golden State’s system, history shows that they don’t often let a loss turn into something worse: The Warriors have lost the opener of a playoff series twice before, and both times have lost. won the second.
And despite the shocking result, three-time NBA champion Draymond Green stressed calm.
“It’s OK,” Green told reporters. “You have the opportunity to do something more, do it in a different way, embrace the challenge.
“We’ve always embraced challenges. It’s no different. We’ll take this one. So no, it’s not a blow to confidence at all, not one bit. There’s no need to be alarmed.”
Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be played Sunday at Chase Center.
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Fuente: edition.cnn.com
2023-12-28 04:48:16
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