Scoreboard
Warriors 107, Celtics 88 (Series tied, 1-1)
What went down
This time, the Warriors went for the head.
Draymond Green made it clear after Game 1 that he thought Golden State had control for the first three quarters of the NBA Finals opener. Facts may not have sided with Green that day, but he did get his point across: don't read too much into one game.
Game 2 had plenty of the same themes from Game 1. Curry had a solid, albeit not historic, first quarter burst that was mitigated by Jaylen Brown's hot start. The Warriors tried to pull away in the second quarter, but they kept missing point-blank shots.
Then, the classic Warriors third quarter happened, just as it did in Game 1. Golden State wasn’t going to let Boston get saved by the bell in this round.
Steph Curry from D33P 💦
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2022
The @warriors are in the midst of a 11-0 run on ABC pic.twitter.com/2qT7pttNwv
Golden State took Boston’s defense to task with its best weapon – Steph Curry. They went away from the usual motion of their offense and let Curry cook from isolations and pick-and-rolls. Along with that, Golden State’s defense was a touch more physical and way more in-tune with what Boston wanted. They dragged Boston through the mud on that end.
The Warriors went on a 19-2 run to close the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 35-14 in the period. They eventually ballooned their lead to 31. Just like Game 1, Game 2 was decided by one team pouring out everything they had in one fell swoop.
Jordan Poole beats the buzzer from the deep end!
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2022
Start of Q4 on ABC pic.twitter.com/junP72I1YZ
Big-time baller
Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Gary Payton II definitely deserve credit for impacting this game each in their own way.
But there’s no need to overthink this. Steph rocked the Bay Area crowd. He followed up his 31-point Game 1 performance with 29 points in Game 2, which included five triples and some solid finishes through Boston’s bigger defenders.
Stephen Curry has his dancing shoes on 💦
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2022
He's up to 20 points on ABC pic.twitter.com/j77hnInhUp
He’s been the best player in the Finals, so far. Despite the series being tied, it’s clear Boston still didn’t have an answer for Wardell.
Did you see that?
Finals season is usually around the time the NBA and other groups hand out awards. Today, the National Basketball Coaches Association gave the Chuck Daly achievement award to Mike Fratello.
Mike Fratello, a basketball lifer who interspersed a successful coaching career with a successful broadcasting career, is the recipient of the 2022 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 5, 2022
More ?? pic.twitter.com/5KITc4EbWk
Younger fans know him as a broadcaster, but Fratello was the coach of some influential teams like the ‘80s Atlanta Hawks and the ‘90s Cleveland Cavaliers. Everywhere he went, Fratello made a lot of good relationships, aside from delivering some great coaching.
