The NBA finals has gotten off to a compelling start with some excellent individual play, along with great team defense has the series tied 1-1 heading into Boston. For both teams, there are reasons to be optimistic and cautious with the way the first two games turned out.
In Game 1, the Celtics went on a incredible run in the 4th quarter as they outscored the Warriors 40-16 to win 120-108. Their leading scorer was Al Horford but it was true team effort with contributions from Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Derrick White. Steph Curry had a great 1st quarter starting off the game on fire by scoring 21 points and making a Finals Record of 6 3-pointers. Despite this excellent start, the Celtics made adjustments defensively to contain Curry. The Warriors ended up going cold offensively in the 4th leading to a surprise comeback win in the 4th for the Celtics.
In Game 2, The Warriors bounced back with a huge blowout win thanks to impressive performances by both Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole. The Warriors led by two as the Celtics kept it close thanks to a 21 point first half from Jayson Tatum which was a bounce back from poor shooting performance in Game 1. Just like the previous game, it was a 2nd half run that would be the deciding factor as the Warriors went on a 35-14 run in the 3rd quarter. They closed the quarter in style thanks to a incredible half court 3 pointer from Poole that served as an exclamation point for the run. From there, the 4th quarter became garbage time as they cruised to a 107-88 victory.
With both teams earning a win in the series, both have reasons to feel confident despite both teams losing by double digits to each other. Starting with the Warriors, their confidence comes from their playoff experience in road games as the series shifts to Boston. Currently, they have won at least one road game in 24 consecutive series which extends their NBA record. Another reason the Warriors should feelgood about the way the series has gone so far has been due to the great play of their superstar point, Stephen Curry. Curry has started off the series in a dominant fashion averaging 31.5 points per game so far. If Curry is able to maintain his level of play it will give the Warriors a great chance to win. Still, the Warriors will need to find another consistent secondary scoring option to win this series. Historically, that has been role for Klay Thompson who has struggled in this series averaging just 13 points per game on 30.3% shooting from the field. For the Warriors to be at their best, they will need their backcourt superstars to play at the level they are capable of.
The Celtics have done what anytime team wants to do when starting a series on the road which is splitting the first two games to break the homecourt advantage. That gives the Celtics the chance to take control of the series in Boston. It would seem likely this could happen as the Celtics have been known to bounce back after losses this postseason. To do so they will need their superstar, Jayson Tatum to play much better than he did in the first two games. Although he had 28 points in Game 2 compared to just 12 points in Game 1, he had a career worst -36 +/- efficiency rating. Though the Warriors 3rd quarter run in Game 2 was not his fault, the Celtics will need a more impactful Tatum to win this series. Also, what sparked the Warriors run was how much the Celtics turned the ball over making them vulnerable against the Warriors transition offense. The Celtics will have to take better care of the ball to make the most of their opportunities on offense as every possession counts in this series.
For Game 3, I expect the Celtics to get a crucial home win as I expect Tatum to have his best game of the series. I also expect the Celtics to take advantage of what I believe is the better home crowd and get off to a quick start to get the raucous Boston fans into the game. I believe this game will be the first single digit win in the series as this tightly contested game will likely be competitive from beginning to end.
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