2022 NBA Finals’ Reactions and Thoughts on Games 1 and 2
June 7th, 2022
By Alan Lu
(Photo: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe)
The NBA Finals has been really fun, entertaining and riveting to watch. Just when it seems that one particular team has a stronghold on the match and the series, new events happen and unfold in unpredictable ways.
The Golden State Warriors appeared to be in control for a good portion of Game 1 and they even had their trademark third quarter run, but then the Boston Celtics had a tremendous fourth quarter run to answer back in order to win Game 1. In Game 2, the Boston Celtics started out strong in the first quarter as they were led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the Golden State Warriors had a strong second, third, and fourth quarter, as their guards, Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole led the way with tremendous shooting and scoring to help even up the series at 1 apiece while Draymond Green played terrific defense in Game 2. Here are the thoughts I wrote down after how Games 1 and 2 unfolded.
Thoughts on Game 1: The Boston Celtics’ Epic Comeback Win Over Golden State
The Boston Celtics’ Game 1 comeback win was stunning and epic. Despite having a tremendous game from superstar point guard Stephen Curry, the Celtics kept it close throughout the first half. The Warriors made their trademark third quarter run to seemingly pull the game away, only for the Boston Celtics to have a tremendous and dominant fourth quarter to blow past the Warriors to get the Game 1 victory.
In the first quarter, Golden State Warriors had a tremendous first quarter from Stephen Curry, as he scored 21 points and made six three-pointers to help his team get the early lead. However, the Celtics never trailed by much in the first half, and they kept plugging away to stay in the game. The Warriors had trouble getting consistent offense from the other players, and the Boston Celtics continually made plays to stay in the contest.
The Golden State Warriors went on a huge third quarter run, as they were moving the ball and shooting it well, and they even received some offense from Andre Iguodala. Otto Porter also shot the ball very well, and he did a great job of knocking down threes in this game. But a strange thing happened in the fourth quarter, which was that the Boston Celtics came all the way back down from double digits to win the game.
(Source: Twitter/@NBA)
They received hot shooting from Al Horford, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, and Jaylen Brown was very good all game long. Brown was driving to the hoop to score and get assists, the Celtics passed the ball very well, and Horford and Pritchard were making loads of open threes. While Jayson Tatum struggled with his shooting in this game, he passed the ball very well, and he managed to get 13 assists in thsi game.
Defensively, the Celtics stopped playing a drop coverage that caused them to allow a lot of baskets to Stephen Curry in the first three quarters, and they played a tough, switching, suffocating defensive scheme that made it very hard for Golden State to get their shots off. The Warriors’ offense suddenly stalled significantly in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics were making everything. Boston had surprisingly found a way to run Jordan Poole off the floor, and Klay Thompson didn’t seem to have much of an impact in this game. The Celtics showed the versatility to consistently make plays on both ends of the floor, and they can play a five-out lineup that will make it very tough for the Warriors to match up to.
Al Horford looked to be the best shooting big man in this game, and the Warriors will need to do a much better job of defending him. This was a stunning victory for the Boston Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors will need to make adjustments and play much better in the fourth quarter moving forward.
(Source: YouTube/NoDunks Inc)
Thoughts on Game 2: The Golden State Warriors Have a Monster Third Quarter to Get a Blowout Win over the Boston Celtics
The Golden State Warriors played really well in this game. Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole did a tremendous job of making shots, and they really took over, especially midway through to assert their dominance throughout this game. Gary Payton II was a welcome presence for Golden State as he returned to play in this game, and he played very good defense when he was on the floor. After Draymond Green got in Grant Williams’ face and received a technical, he imposed his will defensively to make things really difficult on the Boston Celtics, and his pesky, tenacious defense and behavior really seemed to rattle the Celtics to their core.
For Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had a strong first half start, and Tatum did a much better job of scoring the basketball in Game 2, but the Celtics had trouble getting offense from their other players, and their role players, Al Horford, Grant Williams, and Payton Pritchard weren’t getting nearly as many open looks, so they weren’t able to take or make nearly as many shots.
(Source: Twitter/@NBCSWarriors)
Jordan Poole hit a stunning, 39-foot shot to close the first half, and that really gave Golden State huge momentum and the boost they needed to carry on to have a tremendous third quarter and finish the rest of the way. Poole played way better in Game 2, and he and Stephen Curry really dominated with their tremendous shot making and scoring throughout the contest.
(Source: YouTube/NoDunks Inc)
Overall, it was good to see that the Golden State Warriors were able to bounce back, and in a major way, and it will be interesting to see which team wins Game 3 to take more momentum in the 2022 NBA Finals. Both teams have won one game apiece, and it looks like it could be a very tough and hard-fought series that could go either way. Either way, it will be a fun ride, and it will be interesting to see if the Warriors or the Celtics will end up winning the title this year.
