2015 NBA Finals MVP Iguodala checked in with 2:36 left in the first to huge cheers after he missed 12 games. Warriors: F Andre Iguodala (injured disc in neck), G Gary Payton II (broken left elbow) and Porter (left foot soreness) all were back though Payton didn't play. Boston and the Warriors were even on the boards at 39. Coach Ime Udoka expected him to be limited to about 20 minutes as has been the recent pattern. The Celtics and Warriors combined for 20 3s by halftime, an NBA Finals first-half record.Ĭeltics: Williams started after being listed as questionable with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee and finished with eight points and four blocks while playing 24 minutes. In addition, the 21 points were most since Michael Jordan's 22 in the fourth quarter of Game 4 vs. The Celtics star took criticism from Kerr for what the Golden State coach called ''a dangerous play'' lunging at Curry's left foot on March 16 in a 110-88 Boston rout that sidelined the 2021 scoring champion for a month before his return in Game 1 of the first round facing Denver.Ĭurry's six 3s in the opening 12 minutes were the most ever in any quarter of the NBA Finals. Marcus Smart scored 18 points with four 3s for Boston. Golden State dropped to 9-1 this postseason at home, where a sellout crowd in yellow finals T-shirts chanted ''M-V-P!'' for Curry at every chance. Golden State ended its Western Conference final in Game 5 against Dallas a week earlier at home, while Boston was pushed to the limit with a Game 7 victory at Miami last Sunday. returned from a two-game absence to score 12 points off the bench for the well-rested Warriors. And Boston struggled to keep up with the Warriors' snappy ball movement and shooters at every spot on the floor. They came in and earned the win.''Ĭurry scored a smooth 21 points in the opening period on 7-for-8 shooting, including 6 of 8 made 3s - missing a half-court heave at the buzzer. We've been in this position before,'' Kerr said. You obviously go into Game 2 with more of a sense of desperation. They'll have to win this one from behind after going 21-2 in their previous Game 1s under Steve Kerr. Klay Thompson contributed 15 points as the Warriors began their sixth finals in eight years after making five straight trips from 2015-19 and winning three championships. The lead was four midway through the fourth before Boston blew past Golden State with a 20-2 run that made it 117-103.Īndrew Wiggins scored 20 points in his finals debut and Draymond Green grabbed 11 rebounds before fouling out with 48.3 seconds left. Golden State then used a signature third-quarter spurt, pouring in 38 points to build a big lead.īrown scored five quick points early in the fourth and assisted on an alley-oop dunk to Robert Williams III as the Celtics pulled back within 92-87 with 9:35 remaining. White's 3-pointer over Curry with 5:40 remaining tied the game at 103, then Horford hit from deep the next time down as the Celtics took their first lead since halftime.īoston is looking to capture its record-breaking 18th title, which would move the Celtics past the Lakers - and now is just three wins away from doing it.īrown, who starred at nearby California for one college season, made consecutive baskets that tied the game at 47 with 5:03 left before halftime and the Celtics led 56-54 at the break. ''I think we're all just looking forward to the challenge to go through the series and try to get it done.'' ''It's an unbelievable feeling just to be here and competing at this level against such a dynamic franchise the last couple years,'' Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. They are 8-2 on the road in these playoffs. The Celtics were the first team to trail a finals game by 10 or more points after three quarters and win by 10 or more, according to Sportradar.
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