Warriors Can Close Out Celtics In Game 6
Heading back to Golden State for Game 5 on Monday the series was tied up 2-2. Stephen Curry came off one of his best playoff performances ever in Game 4 with 43 points and 7 for 14 from three. Despite not having a strong outing in Game 5 the Warriors still won 104-94 pushing them one win away from an NBA title.
In Game 5 Curry was not his usual self. He had 16 points and shot 7 for 22 from the field. For the first time in 233 games including the regular season and playoffs Curry did not hit a three. Thankfully there were others that had Curry’s back.
Andrew Wiggins had a great game with 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Klay Thompson also had a solid game with 21 points and going 5 for 11 from three. Despite fouling out Draymond Green started to look like himself with eight points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Green has had trouble the whole series but maybe he can build off his Game 5 performance and help his team win another championship.
For Boston, they had a slow start in Game 5 but in the third quarter they turned it up. After being down at the half by 12, Boston was aggressive in the third going on a 35-point outburst in the quarter. They would lose their fire in the fourth quarter due to bad possessions with turnovers.
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds, his co-star Jaylen Brown was 2 for 11 to start and finished with 18 points on 5 of 18 shooting. Both the stars for the Celtics have to be better.
Celtics have to get off to strong starts and sustain that level all game. They have tendencies to disappear when the game gets down in the clutch. They stop attacking the basket and start shooting threes. When the Warriors go to their small lineup and Green is the center that is the perfect time to attack the basket.
They also have to cut down on the turnovers. Warriors had six and Celtics had 18. The Celtics are 13-2 when they commit 14 or fewer turnovers and 1-7 when they commit 15 or more. The Warriors send double teams at Tatum to get him flustered and when he gets trapped sometimes he turns the ball over. Better care with the ball starts with Tatum and Marcus Smart but the turnovers have been a problem for all of those that are the main ball handlers on the team.
The Warriors have a chance to end it all Thursday. Curry will want a huge bounce-back game for not hitting a three in Game 5. Wiggins wants to continue his trend as the X-factor for the team and in Game 6 Klay could make an appearance and have an amazing night.
The Celtics will be in front of their home crowd one last time this season. A strong start will be ideal but how can they end the game strong will be the bigger question. Tatum has to be more efficient all around, Brown has to have the better shot selection, Smart has to keep the turnovers down and they need another big game from Al Horford.
I expect Game 6 to be a back-and-forth game where both teams bring their A-game.