San Francisco, Jun 6 (US): Just like in Game 1, the Golden State Warriors took the lead with a big third quarter.
Unlike Game 1, they finished the job.
The NBA Finals are now tied, after the Warriors turned a tight game into a masterpiece defeat in the third quarter. Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Bull called straight from inside the field to crown the pivotal period and the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 107-88 Sunday night in Game 2.
“I thought everyone was more engaged” after his team improved to 5-0 after losing in these playoffs, said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Very obvious. Our strength and physical level were raised a bit, and it had to be.”
Paul finished the Warriors with 17 points, who beat Boston 35-14 in the third quarter to turn their two-point lead in the first half to 23. And when the Warriors scored the first six points from the fourth, the Celtics waved the surrender flag and emptied the bench.
“We said we needed to play with desperation,” Curry said. “That’s what we did.”
Golden State also took 12 from Kevon Looney in a 6-on-6 game, and 11 from Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson, the AP reports.
Jason Tatum scored 21 of his 28 first-half points for Boston. Jaylen Brown added 17 for the Celtics, but fought through a 5-for-17 shooting night, and Derek White scored 12.
Just like in the first game, the mega run decided everything. The Celtics went on the 48-18 run in the second half to decide the opening game. The Warriors didn’t wait that long in Game 2, blasting 43-14 from late in the first half through early in the fourth quarter to turn their tiebreak into an absolute escape.
Game three is Wednesday in Boston.
Curry earned 14 of his points for third, making him three of five three-pointers in the quarter. Boston was 4 for 15 in the quarter, going 21-6 in 3s and letting the Warriors turn five turnovers into 11 points.
“Steve was breathtaking that quarter,” Kerr said.
The Celtics turned their 15-point third-quarter deficit into a 15-point lead in the final quarter in Game One, but that didn’t happen again on Sunday. Even Boston coach Amy Odoka chose a technical technique in an effort to show his displeasure with things, including the whistles or lack thereof, to no avail.
“I just told them how I felt throughout the match in a way that was illustrative, on purpose, to get technique,” Odoka said.
Paul introduced the exclamation point as the third quarter closed, taking a pass in the final seconds, dribbling over the center zone bar, creating a bit of space and letting fly.
swish.
Carey greeted him with a smile and a hug, and fans at Chase Center jumped on their feet – if they weren’t already there – and the outcome was pretty much decided.
And for the first time, the crowd in the new Warriors building finally saw the Celtics lose. Tonight Boston entered 4-0 at the home of the 3-year-old Warriors, the only team to win their first four games in the arena.
But giving up 33 points from 19 turns means that streak has no chance of continuing.
“We have to take better care of the ball,” Tatum said.
The Celtics were seeking to join only two other teams – the 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets – on the list of clubs to sweep two games en route to the finals opener. The Bulls and Rockets won the championship, and 31 of the previous 36 teams that opened with a score of 2-0 ended up celebrating the title.
All is not lost to Boston. The Celtics need to win their remaining home games just to become champions, although that won’t be easy against a Warriors who have won at least one game on the road in 26 consecutive NBA series.
“That’s what it is,” said Al Horford of the Celtics, who scored 26 points in the first game and picked up two on Sunday. “To Game 3.”
Hint
Celtics: The Celtics fell 8-3 on the road in this playoff. They remained tied for the second most wins in a single season after the season ended. The record is nine, which Houston set in 1995. …Robert Williams III, who has dealt with knee problems throughout the playoffs, received a hard landing in the third quarter after being hit by Marcus Smart. He was called after 21 seconds and never came back. …Tatum and Brown scored 40 of Boston’s first 54 points.
Warriors: Draymond Green Impact on Game 2: Nine points, seven assists, five rebounds, technical foul and full physical value. “There is no effect,” Horford said. …Andre Iguodala (inflammation of the right knee) was knocked out of match 2, after scoring 12 minutes in the first match. But the knee swollen on Saturday and he sat for the 13th time in the Warriors’ last 14 games. …Gary Payton played second for the first time since breaking his elbow in the Memphis Series.
big quarters
The Warriors’ 35-14 advantage in the third quarter was the different 91st quarter in this playoff as one team had a double-digit margin over the other. This is the most in a single year ever, topping 90 such quarters in the 2017 playoffs.
statement game
Players and coaches from both teams wore orange T-shirts before the game with the phrase “End Gun Violence” on the front, a topic Kerr – whose father was killed in gun violence 38 years ago – often talked about. .
“It’s about convincing politicians that things like background checks are really critical, things that don’t affect people’s Second Amendment rights,” Kerr said.
amazing memory
Sunday marked the 31st anniversary of Michael Jordan’s first NBA Finals win, when he and the Chicago Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two in 1991.
Jordan scored 13 consecutive shots in that match, most recently with the iconic fourth-quarter layup. “A great move by Michael Jordan,” NBC anchor Marv Albert called.