The Boston Celtics Made A Statement In Game 1
After appearing dead in the water, the Boston Celtics stormed back in the fourth quarter to take Game 1. Here’s how they did it.
Boston’s game one victory on the road was a microcosm of their season. For three quarters, nothing was working. Shots weren’t falling and Steph Curry was lighting the world on fire. And then, like they’ve done all year, the Celtics responded. With force.
The Celtics’ fourth-quarter blitz powered them to a game one victory. Here are all my thoughts from Game 1, plus some questions for the rest of the series.
I Think We All Have Some Mike Breen Deficiency
Before we get into the game, can we talk about the commentating for a second? Not only did Hall of Famer Mike Breen have to sit this one out, but so did Jeff Van Gundy, who sounded noticeably hoarse in game 7 of the Celtics/Heat series.
This is not to say that Mark Jackson and Mark Jones didn’t do a good job. But there’s a reason Breen has done 16 straight NBA Finals. It just didn’t feel the same without him. It’s like having a substitute teacher for the one class whose teacher you actually like.
We can all agree that the one thing missing from Game 1 was some good old ‘BANG!’ and ‘Way Off.’ Heck, even Woj got Covid. What’s next? Scott Van Pelt? Jared Greenburg? Magic Johnson? (Ok. I don’t think the world would lose that much from Magic on NBA Countdown. I’m sorry. To be honest, why don’t we just abolish pre-game and half-time shows? Does anybody actually watch them? No, they don’t. If you said yes to that question, your kidding yourself.)
Hopefully, Breen is back in his rightful place for game two. If not, I’m going to have to start taking some vitamins. I had to do that for vitamin D once, and if you couldn’t already tell, I’m still taking them.
The Boston Celtics Should Be Happy With Their Defense
At times, the Celtics couldn’t stop the Golden State Warriors. Early in the first quarter, there was a lot of finger-pointing when trying to stop Steph Curry. But, all in all, the Celtics have to be pretty proud of their defensive effort.
Curry managed just 13 points on 16 shots after the first quarter. The Celtics did a much better job of showing bodies at Curry at all times. What I was impressed with was Boston’s composure. It would have been easy or even logical for them to hit the panic button and immediately start trapping Curry after halftime. Instead, they calmed down and shut the 2x MVP down.
Once that happened, Golden State’s offense was far less lethal. Poole and Thompson combined for just 24 points on the night – with Poole being especially quiet. Again, it seemed like the Celtics couldn’t stop the Warriors. The reality is that they did a pretty good job at doing so.
Robert Williams roamed the middle on defense. Boston has moments where their physically proved to be too much for Golden State’s movement offense, like this;
Adjustments
Now, does that mean the Celtics can’t make adjustments? No. The easy thing to say is that they have to do a much better job staying with Curry in transition. And, on those pick-and-rolls, they have to stay up. If they don’t want to trap, that’s fine. But they have to at least stay level with the screen to not give Curry so many open looks.
Robert Williams continued his roller-coaster postseason by playing just 13 minutes in the second half. Sure, he had his moments defensively, but truth be told, he’s too much of an outlier for Boston. He doesn’t space the floor on offense, which is why going to Al Horford makes more sense.
Defensively, though, Williams doesn’t have a good matchup. He spent time on Wiggins and Otto Porter in this game. In theory, that allows him to play in space and disrupt things. Instead, the Warriors ran screens involving a sagged off Williams, and the results were poor;
Even with their above average defense from game one, expect the Celtics to adjust ahead of game two.
Jayson Tatum Got What He Wanted
Looking at Jayson Tatum’s box score from this game isn’t fun. In fact, it’s the opposite of fun. 3/17 shooting? A couple of airballs? Missed free throws? One would assume that Tatum did some cardio in this game. Instead, he played one of the best-worst games of his career.
For the most part, Tatum’s looks were good. He missed some open jumpers that he usually makes. Other than those misses, both Tatum and the Celtics should feel fine in the way he was being guarded. The Warriors didn’t swarm Tatum or force the ball out of his hands. Instead, they gave him what he wanted.
Curry, Poole, and Looney were switched onto Tatum numerous times throughout this game. The Warriors didn’t double Tatum, instead sending help at the last possible moment to contest his shots. That’s a big change from the Miami series where Tatum was doubled whenever Max Strus was on him.
Going into game two, Tatum has to be more patient when trying to score. Instead of going into the teeth of the defense, why not try a fadeaway jumper? Now, why was this game from Tatum not a complete failure? Playmaking.
Tatum notched 13 assists to just two turnovers. He was patient in the sense of finding his open teammates. Marcus Smart was the recipient of a lot of Tatum kick outs throughout this game. So, if Tatum can add some scoring to the playmaking he flashed last night, he’s going to demand more attention from the Warriors.
If that happens, Boston’s offense can really open up. Calling Tatum’s game one performance a failure would be wrong. A better term would be missed opportunities. Kind of like Arrested Development after season three.
What To Expect From The Rest of the Series
The Celtics didn’t play their best in game one. There are a lot of things they can improve on. And, not to be negative, but I don’t think they can expect 55 points from White, Horford, and Pritchard. All three of those guys played quality minutes, and I don’t think that will happen again.
If you’re a Warriors fan, you’re going to live with giving those guys open looks from downtown. In game one, Boston burned you. Can they do that for the entire series?
Anyway, game one of this series proved one thing. It’s going to be a physical chess match. Both of these teams have time to reset things. What will Ime Udoka do about those Curry pick-and-rolls? Will Steve Kerr change up his Tatum schemes?
This is why I was so excited about this series. Not only were the two teams dueling very talented, their coaching staffs always put them in a position to succeed. Nothing about what we saw from game one is set in stone. It’s going to be ever-changing.
So, we can throw out a lot of what we saw in game one. Both teams felt like they were just a few tweaks away from winning. Here’s my best guess as to what’s going to happen;
- Boston: Use Tatum Differently / Go Small / Pay More Attention To Curry
- Golden State: Throw new coverages at Tatum / more defensive lineups / give Celtics open 3’s
If game one was a preview of what’s to come, one thing’s for sure. This series is going to be very, very fun. Oh, and the Celtics are good. Don’t know if I’ve mentioned that yet. Yeah, that sounds about right.
What Are Your Thoughts After Game 1? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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