By making a spectacular comeback in the fourth quarter on Thursday night in San Francisco, the Boston Celtics took an important step in the current NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Better still, the formation of Massachusetts could soon become the most prestigious organization in the history of basketball.
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For now, the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are tied with 17 NBA championships each. The Warriors remain the favorites to win, but they will have to recover from this rout that marked the first game of the final, during which the Celtics scored 40 points in the last quarter to win 120-108 on enemy soil.
“It wasn’t our best game, but we kept fighting and found a way to win,” Celtics veteran Al Horford said after the game. of Thursday.
Focus on the defensive
It was by applying an excellent defensive game and being opportunistic under the basket that the Celtics played a nasty trick on the Warriors, who nevertheless led by 12 points after three quarters.
“We weren’t at our best in the first half,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said. We bet on our defense and offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. It has been our trademark this year, to play hard and intense. We know we can always count on our defense when we need it.”
It must be admitted that Stephen Curry and his Warriors teammates for their part missed several chances in the fourth quarter, being then limited to 16 points in total. Curry, who finished the game with 34 points, started the game like a lion with 21 points, including six shots from outside the perimeter, in the first quarter.
A first title since 2008?
The NBA Finals, which will continue on Sunday in San Francisco, will certainly be interesting to follow. Remember that the last presence in the final of the Celtics dates back to 2010 and the Boston club then lost against the Lakers. The Los Angeles franchise has since joined the Celtics in 2020 with their 17th NBA title.
It was in 2008 that the Celtics won their most recent championship against the same Lakers. The previous one was won in 1986 against the Houston Rockets.
– Six Celtics players got at least five rebounds in Game 1 of the Finals: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and not forgetting Payton Pritchard, despite having limited time.
– The Celtics have appeared in a total of 21 NBA Finals, winning 17. That includes their first 11 titles, during the Bill Russell era, between 1957 and 1969.
