These Boston Celtics just don’t give up.
For a moment, Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Golden State seemed like a repeat of Game 1 against Miami when they were derailed by a lousy third quarter. After taking a two-point lead into halftime on Thursday night, those third-quarter woes continued as they were outscored by 14 at the frame.
The C’s turned 180 with a dominant fourth quarter, starting a 14-0 run and ending it with 40 points while holding the Warriors to 16. They were unconscious from deep, shooting 9-of-12 from 3-point range to put a sign exclamation point in the 120-108 victory.
The two teams combined to hit 40 3-pointers, the most in an NBA Finals game. Al Horford, Derrick White and Marcus Smart contributed 15 of those marks from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry hit seven 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 34 points in a losing effort.
Game 2 is scheduled for 8 pm ET on Sunday at the Chase Center. Here are our takeaways from the Celtics’ thrilling Game 1 win.
Jayson Tatum takes a back seat
There may have been some nerves in Game 1 for Jayson Tatum, because the Celtics star couldn’t find his shot throughout the contest. He was a rotten 3-for-17 from the floor and finished with 12 points. Nine times out of 10 that would spell disaster against a team like the Warriors, but not on Thursday night.
Tatum made up for his dismal shooting night by making an impact as a playmaker. He dished out seven assists in the first half, the most in the half of a player’s Finals debut since John Stockton had seven in the second half of Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls in 1997.
He finished with a career-high 13 assists and joined the elite in the process. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson (14) is the only player with the most assists in a Finals Game 1. Celtics greats Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson are the only other players with 13 in Game 1.
“I’ve talked to him all year about how to impact the game when his shot doesn’t land,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said after the win. “That’s what it was all about. He’s still defending. Still impacting the game on that side as well.”
The Celtics are now 19-2 this season (6-0 in the playoffs) when Tatum has seven or more assists. To put the icing on the cake, Tatum was +27 during the fourth-quarter comeback despite not scoring a point.
Al Horford, Derrick White take over
With Tatum struggling offensively, there was no way the Celtics were going to win this game unless the supporting cast came out to play. They definitely did.
Making his first Finals appearance hours before celebrating his 36th birthday, Al Horford was a sensation. The veteran big man set a new playoff career high with six 3-pointers, the most 3-pointers ever made by a player in his Finals debut.
“Nobody deserves to be here more than him,” Smart said of Horford. “We knew it was only a matter of time before he had a great game and continued to have a great game. He’s been that catalyst for us this whole year.”
Horford finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting (6-8 3PT).
Also having a huge impact on the comeback was the victory of backup shooting guard Derrick White. Not known as a scorer, White stepped up to score 21 off the bench and shoot 5-for-8 from long range.
Jaylen Brown causes streak in the fourth quarter
Horford and White helped finish the job, but it was Jaylen Brown who started the Celtics’ epic fourth-quarter comeback.
Brown rebounded from a rocky offensive performance and dominated in the final frame. He hit his first four shots, including two 3-pointers, for a total of 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Brown finished with 24 points and shot 10 of 23 from the field. He also had seven rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. His effort in the fourth quarter was huge on a night Tatum couldn’t find his rhythm, but Boston hopes to have both of its stars working flat out in Game 2.
Celtics defense adjusts to Stephen Curry
Curry wasted no time making his presence felt once again on the big stage. Appearing in his sixth NBA Finals, the two-time MVP scored 21 points in the first quarter and shot 6-of-7 from 3. That’s a new record for 3-pointers in the first quarter of a finals game. It’s also the most points in a quarterfinal since Michael Jordan scored 22 in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against Phoenix in 1993.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, the C’s made key adjustments to defend Curry from then on.
“This is not the Heat series. We can’t start at the back. We have to start at the top,” Smart said into a microphone on the ABC broadcast. “Especially if they start that high, you start and then you go down because we’re chasing. Now he falls in the paint.”
Curry went on to put 0 in the second quarter. He hit a 3-pointer the rest of the way and finished with 34 points.
Boston won’t be able to keep Curry down forever, but the response to his first-quarter onslaught shows that other Warriors will have to step up to win this series. In a battle between the two best defenses in the NBA, the Celtics comfortably won Round 1.
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