Boston beats the Warriors 108-120 in the first game of the NBA Finals, relying on a tremendous fourth quarter
Horford, Brown and White’s performances dwarfed Steph Curry’s 34 points
The Boston Celtics struck first and took home the opening game of the Finals this Thursday. NBA against the Golden State Warriors (108-120). The Dominican Al Horford (26 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists), Jaylen Brown (24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Derrick White (21 points) were the best of the Celtics that swept the fourth quarter (16-40 ) and that they overcame the gray night of their star, Jayson Tatum (12 points on 3-of-17 shooting). For the Warriors, who melted in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry was the most outstanding (34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists).
The Celtics delivered a fantastic survival lesson in a streaky game for both teams. Curry dazzled in the first quarter with 21 points and 6 three-pointers, but the Celtics rallied in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 2-point lead. After the break, the Warriors came out in a rush and managed to win by 15 points in the third quarter, but a exceptional last quarter of the Celtics (including a colossal 0-17) gave them victory and now allows them to have home court advantage in their favor. This is also Golden State’s first home loss in these playoffs.
Those of Steve Kerr were very far from the collective spirit and the collective contribution of the Celtics and missed the best version of Klay Thompson (15 points with 6 of 14 shooting) and Draymond Green (4 points with 2 of 12 shooting) .
The Warriors are looking for their fourth ring in eight years and these are their sixth Finals since 2015, while the Celtics, 17-time NBA champions (the most along with the Los Angeles Lakers), have not won the title since 2008 and had not reached the Finals since 2010.
The second game of these Finals between Warriors and Celtics will be played this Sunday also in San Francisco.