The Golden State Warriors are one victory away from continuing their dynasty with another championship after their 104-94 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Just two seasons ago, the Warriors finished with the worst record in the Western Conference with 15-50 and are now on the verge of their fourth title since 2015.
While Stephen Curry had led the team so far, the Warriors were very helpful in Game 5, as four players other than Curry – led by Andrew Wiggins and his 26 points – scored double-digit for Golden State. Helping Curry at the end of the offensive was something that all the Warriors supporting actors mentioned were essential in Game 5, and they did just that to help Golden State lead to a double-digit victory.
With the victory, Curry and the Warriors can end this series at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night in Game 6.
Wiggins and company lead the way
We had to get a bad Curry game at some point, and when that happened, the focus would be on which Warriors player it would take to lose weight. Given how much Golden State relied on Curry’s brilliance in the first four games of the series, no one could have predicted that he would win the game in which he gave only 16 points and failed to hit 3rd for the first. time in 233 games (more on that below). But here we are, the Warriors leading 3-2 in this series against the Celtics and this is due to the excellent performance of their role players, but especially Wiggins.
After being the absolute cup of power in Game 4 to help the Warriors win, Wiggins followed that performance with even better performance: 26 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was the main reason Golden State won on Monday night, getting what he wanted in an attack, and he was devastating at the other end of the floor. His really came to life in the fourth quarter, where he scored 10 of his 26 points to increase the lead from one point at the end of the third quarter to a 10-point lead by the end of the game.
While Wiggins was the head of the snake in Golden State’s attack in Game 5, he was not the only player to gain a slack in the midst of Curry’s uncharacteristic game. Thompson had by far his best performance in the series, going 5 of 11 from the center and was the only Warriors starter to connect with the 3-pointer. In the last two games leading up to this one, he seemed to be taking small steps towards returning to the sharp forward shots we expect from him, and in Game 5 he performed when the Warriors needed him most.
The bench was also a huge advantage for the Warriors on Monday night. The second unit of Golden State overtook Boston 31-10, with Jordan Poole and Gary Peyton having 29 of those points. Poole’s huge buzzer, a 35-foot kick at the end of the third quarter, is what caused Golden State’s dominant performance in the fourth quarter. It was a comprehensive team effort for the Warriors in Game 5 and was desperately needed as Curry had a free night.
The Celtics’ mistakes prevail over them
Although the Warriors looked like the better team for most of that game, in the third quarter the Celtics began to look like the team that won games 1 and 3 in that series. The offensive was easy, and the defense forced the Warriors to look poor. As a result, Boston used a 10-0 series to open the third quarter to grab their first lead of the night with 6:27 left. The Celtics seemed to have the ability to steal that win, as they held a small two-point lead with three seconds left in the third quarter.
But then it happened:
Poole sucked the Celtics’ lives with one hand with that blow to end the third quarter. This gave the Warriors a one-point lead in the last 12 minutes of the match, and Golden State never gave up.
In the fourth quarter, the Celtics turned the ball four times, shooting 26.7 percent from the field and 25 percent from depth. This was one of the annoying problems that plagued the Celtics throughout the postseason. They sometimes struggled to generate an attack in the fourth quarter, especially when the game was close. This happened in Game 4, where the Warriors beat the Celtics 15-0 during the clutch (last five minutes of the game) and again on Monday night Boston looked inappropriate.
That doesn’t mean that game was lost in the fourth quarter, because Boston fought hard in the first half, making nine turns in the first two quarters. However, they returned to that game in the third quarter and then completely squandered a golden opportunity to lead 3-2 in the NBA Finals. I know this team is young, but you can’t let this Poole kick completely ruin your game, especially not with an online championship.
The historical curry series is coming to an end
Entering Game 5, Curry had scored 3 points in each of his 132 playoff games in his career. He also scored 3 points in 233 consecutive games, including both the regular season and the playoffs. You’d think Curry making a single 3-pointer would be a safe bet given these numbers, but this series ended in Game 5. Curry went 0 to 9 over long distances on Monday night, interrupting his series of consecutive games with make a 3-pointer and end your perfect series of making one in each of your post-season matches. Both series were NBA records.
After a performance in which he scored 43 points and 10 rebounds, Curry looked a little tired in Game 5. Several of his 3s hit from the front edge, suggesting his legs were exhausted from leading the team to victory in the Game. 4. With Curry’s uncharacteristic performance for Game 5, you’d think the Warriors would lose. But Boston failed to take advantage of his night of shooting and now the Warriors are one victory away from the championship.
Add Comment