Theis failed to become the second German after Dirk Nowitzki to win the NBA title. The Celtics must continue to share the record champions title with the Los Angeles Lakers with 17 titles each and continue to wait for the next championship after 2008.
In the once again very loud TD Garden, the Celtics had a much better start and in the first few minutes they pulled away up to 14:2, before the Warriors recovered, slowly reduced the twelve-point deficit and at the end of the quarter it was 27:22 lay in front. By half-time, the guests managed a 21-0 run, which, according to ESPN, had not happened in a final game for 50 years. The Celtics suffered again from the many ball losses in their own attack. It was twelve before the break.
Despite their best efforts, the young key Celtics players often found no means against the veterans on the other side. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart have been boiled over and over again by Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. As so often this season, the Warriors were particularly effective immediately after halftime. In the middle of the third quarter, Curry hit his fifth three and increased the lead to 22 points.
Theis remains without action
However: Boston’s oldest player, Al Horford, increasingly braced himself against the impending defeat and almost single-handedly brought the Celtics to only ten points behind with twelve points before the last quarter. The fans believed in a comeback again – but the Celtics always had at least eight points less than the Warriors and could not avert the huge disappointment. A minute before the end, the Celtics took off their stars.
Theis had to watch the defeat from the bench again and was no longer called by Celtics coach Ime Udoka. The man from Lower Saxony had only been substituted on in the first two finals games in San Francisco.