The first two games of the NBA Finals are in the books and the series is tied at 1-1. Boston took game one with a spectacular 4th quarter after being down by as many as 15 points. Game two was close at halftime, but a dominant 3rd quarter by the Warriors put them ahead comfortably to even the series. As both teams travel to Boston for games three and four, let’s look at some key factors in the first two games.
Warriors’ 3rd Quarter Dominance:
The Golden State Warriors have been +35 in the 3rd quarters so far in this series. Boston has played the Warriors even in the first half so far, with Boston being up by two in game one and the Warriors up by two in game two. Boston dug themselves a whole – being outscored 38-24 in the 3rd quarter of game one and 35-14 in game two. There’s no way Boston can win this series if they continue to get blitzed coming out of halftime the way that they have in the first two games.
Battle of Role Players:
In game one Al Horford, Derrick White and Marcus Smart were the catalysts in the Celtics’ 4th quarter comeback. Horford scored 26 points, White scored 24 points and Marcus Smart chipped in 18 points. In game two Boston’s role players came back to Earth with a thud. Horford and Smart only scored two points, and Derrick White scored 12 points on 4-13 shooting from the floor. Meanwhile, for the Warriors Jordan Poole bounced back in game two scoring 17 points, Draymond Green made his presence felt after shooting 2-12 in game 1 and Kevon Looney scored 12 points. So far whichever team’s supporting cast plays better has led to their teams winning. How will Boston’s role players respond after a poor game two outing and how will the Warriors’ role players react to a hostile Celtics crowd as the series shifts to Boston?
Turnovers:
Through two games the team that has turned the ball over the least has won. The Warriors had 14 turnovers in game one while Boston had 19 turnovers in game two. Boston’s turnovers in game two were often careless and the Warriors scored 33 points off of them. Both teams must value the ball as they each can play reckless at times.
Klay Off to a Slow Start:
Klay Thompson hasn’t really gotten going in this series. Thompson was only 4-19 from the floor in game two as Steve Kerr left him on the floor to try to get him in some type of rhythm. Thompson is only shooting 27% from three so far in this series. At some point the Warriors will need Thompson to perform better if they are going to win this series. It will be interesting to see how Klay plays as things shift to Boston.