The Boston Celtics’ Game 1 victory over the Golden State Warriors was as loud as any statement they could have ever hoped for. It was shocking and stunning. Impressive doesn’t even fully encapsulate what they did. It wasn’t just they erased a 12-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, it was how they fought their way back and took control of the game completely.
The 2022 NBA Finals opener was a declaration for the Celtics. They heard all the talk about Golden State’s dynasty, the sixth finals appearance in eight years, how Steph Curry is looking for a Finals MVP trophy, and all that. Game 1 was an affirmation for the Celtics that they deserve to be on the game’s biggest stage and they are undoubtedly well-equipped to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
“That's kind of who we've been all year,” Boston head coach Ime Udoka said about his team’s comeback performance. “Tough grinders, a resilient group that we can always know we can rely on our defense to kind of buckle down when needed.”
The Celtics dropped a 40-point hammer in the final frame and limited the Warriors to only 16. That 24-point differential in the fourth tied the largest scoring margin in any quarter of a finals game ever. They unleashed a 17-0 run that changed the complexion of the game. By the time the Warriors were able to buy a bucket, the game was essentially over.
Udoka opted to use Robert Williams III, Payton Prichard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum to start the fourth and sliced the lead. Al Horford was subbed in halfway through and that’s when the Celtics turned on the jets. White hit a 3 to cut the lead to one and even after Curry countered with a layup, White drilled another triple for Boston to tie it all up at 103. Horford’s back-to-back 3-pointers served as the ultimate gut punch that left the home team out of breath.
The Warriors were shell-shocked. You can call this a “wake-up call” for Curry and company, but this was more of the Celtics dousing them with cold water in the morning. It was a full-body shock-to-your-system kind of alarm clock.
The Celtics used their own version of small-ball basketball and beat the Warriors at their own game. It’s so hard to out-Warriors the Warriors (just ask the Dallas Mavericks), but the Celtics did it. And their lineup was deceivingly deadly on both ends. Pritchard or White may seem easy targets because of their size while Williams and Horford will make you think you have the speed advantage, but all those factors didn’t hold true. Thanks to focusing on their defensive schemes, the Celtics were able to shut down the Warriors while getting open shots on the other end.
“I think our reads, our switches were aggressive. At times some of our bigger guys were getting caught too low, especially when Curry was getting going early,” Udoka said. “We wanted to go to a smaller unit, kind of get more aggressive on the ball. A lot of small-small. We did some pre-switching to keep the bigs out of the actions and took some time off the clock.
“This is what we rely on all year, our one-on-one defense. Guys really clamped in a little bit better, with more physicality, with more awareness of their shooters taking up some space. Seemed like that seemed to wear them down a little bit.”
For Game 2, the Celtics should expect a vicious response from the Warriors. Adjustments will be made and counterattacks will be deployed. Who knows, the Warriors might drain a dozen 3s to start the game or Klay Thompson might erupt for 40 points.
But if you’re the Celtics, you should be confident right now. You just ate 34 points from Curry and lived to tell the tale. You were down double digits but managed to win in double digits. You were on the road and left the home crowd in disbelief. More than anything, you might have even seeped doubts into Golden State that its dynasty building days might be on hold.
The Celtics drew first blood. And by the looks of it, they’re out for more.
