SAN FRANCISCO - A lot happened to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry didn't hit the third pointer for the first time in a post-season game. After fighting his long shot throughout the series, Jason Tatum had a big night.
And for a change, the Celtics weren't just crushed by the Warriors in the third quarter, but they beat Golden State during the frame.
But, after all, the Celtics' remorse was meaningless, as Boston scored five points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter and saw Golden State fall to score 104-94, giving the Warriors a chance to finish the game. . . Thursday Night Series at TD Garden.
"Obviously we are a little disappointed because we got a good third to finish fourth and we didn't do what we had to do," Al Horford said. "We felt we had chances, and we started playing as if we were playing earlier in the match. It's definitely, you know, tough."
"We have our backs to the wall. This is the moment we look each other in the eye and we have to understand that. We have a chance now. We have to think about it. There is no tomorrow for us."
It looks like there could be tomorrow, one way or another, for Boston after Game Five, despite the Celtics' grueling start. As the Warriors opened the gates like a house burning, sending Chase into thunderous applause after another with their frantic play, the Celtics spent the first few minutes moving around the field as if it was a normal game of the season. February, instead of the fifth game of the final.
Transfers, Boston's worrying playoff stats, are back on top once again. The Celtics committed 18 times in Game 5 and continued the trend during this playoff 13-2 when they committed 15 or less of their turnover, and now 0-7 when they had 16 or more.
And while many of them came in Celtics-branded clothing, with Boston accidentally throwing the ball in, it was also the Golden State produce that brought the Celtics back up and away from the rhythm that Boston could sustain when they were at their best.
Congrats to them, Jaylene Brown said. "It's a very good defensive team. Disciplined and healthy. They forced us to do what we clearly weren't doing. We just have to keep knowing the game, watching the game and making adjustments in the game. The ball when it comes to that."
"Another match with a lot of twists and turns cost us that.
It was also another game where the Warrior beat both Brown and Tatum. Brown fumbled all night and finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, but was 5 for 18 from the field and 0 for 5 from a 3-point range. Meanwhile, Tatum finally hit the ball well, taking a 10-20 lead from the field and 5-9 from a 3-point range, but he had four runs and went 1-5 in the fourth quarter when he looked exhausted. . In one match he played over 44 minutes.
"We dealt with them a little bit more," Celtics coach Im Odoka said when asked about Boston's fourth-quarter fading after the return to the game. "Fatigue could have played a role in that, whether it's physical or decision-making, the changes are there. Somehow it combined with the hot hands that brought us back into the game."
After that disastrous first half, which saw Boston trailing by just 12 points, rather than twice what the Celtics likely deserved, the Celtics changed their expected scenario for the last time in this playoff by scoring goals. The first 10 points of the second half and surpassed Golden State completely in the third quarter, after beating them by 49 points in that period during the first four games.
But Golden State scored eight points in the last eighty seconds of the third quarter to regain the lead heading into the fourth, then beat Boston 18-5 in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to put the game aside and push the Celtics. far. on the border.
And while the Golden State once again deserves credit for how the Celtics fell, it was also the ultimate reminder, even within the game, of just how much Boston swung from side to side. After missing the game's first 12 three-pointers, the Celtics went on for eight straight runs, creating one clean look after another. As they tore up the Warriors in the third quarter, they executed their game plan over and over again.
Then the fourth quarter began, and it all fell apart.
“Yes, they improved my body,” Odoka said. "They're spinning a little bit more. As you saw in the third quarter, any time we're not feeling down, facing the crowd once, it can seem really easy, get the shots we want."
"Like I said, go game by game. Not just that, quarter to quarter. 35 points in the third quarter when you move the ball, you go into the lane, you lead, you kick, we distribute the ball - open shots we want, we have to go to the fourth., basically We had 14 guys who were late, and obviously it was day and night from the third and fourth quarters.
However, even after all this, Boston remains confident that it can get out of this hole. why? Well, in part because Boston has been in that position a few times in the post-season.
"I've said it before: You'd better be confident, right? We don't have to win twice in one day," Tatum asked. We just have to win the game on Thursday.
"We've been in this situation before. So it's not over. We have to win on Thursday. That's all we have to worry about now."
The Celtics lost 3-2 to defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, before hitting the road and winning Game Six in Milwaukee (Tatum scored 46 points) and then going home to win Game 7.
Boston then hit the road and won Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, even though the Celtics had to survive a near-historic meltdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to win that game.
Now the Celtics must dig another hole to hang Banner 18 from the rafters at TD Garden.
Asked why he was more confident than ever in his team's chances of winning the NBA after Monday's loss, Brown said, "I have no choice." "We have no choice. It's winning or coming home now. We've worked hard all season to get to that position. I still feel like we've got much better basketball that we haven't played in the past two games."
"Hopefully in the next two games we play basketball for Celtic and do our best. I know City will be behind us. It's going to be a great game. 6. We'll be waiting."
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