In game one, the record champions turned the game around despite being 15 points behind. But this time he gave up all attempts to catch up early on, probably also to save energy for the other games. This series will be hard work – and there are at least three games left before a team has the necessary four successes to earn the title.
Curry shines in the second half
Curry took control in the third quarter following what was an unremarkable first half by his standards. “Steph was stunning in the neighborhood”said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Not only the throws made, but also his use on the defensive.” Curry was also satisfied with himself and his defensive performance. “That was always a focus when trying to win basketball games”said the 34-year-old. “I put a lot of work into that.”
On three so-called Steals, i.e. balls stolen from the opponent, Curry came next to his 29 points. So he had a big part in the concerns of the Celtics. “There were far too many Turnover. I think almost 20 turnovers, 33 points from that. this is the game”said national player Daniel Theis from the Celtics of the German Press Agency. “Third quarter, we have to stop that. We can’t hope, like in the first game, that we go minus 15 and then come back in a game like that.” The Warriors, on the other hand, only conceded 15 points following losing the ball.
Taytum: “Have to play better at home”
Im TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics get just as loud support from their spectators as the Warriors in the Chase Center – the team around Theis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was not necessarily strong at home in these playoffs.
“It feels like we’ve been a bit relaxed at home lately. It was probably because we had home advantage. But we need a certain urgency and have to play better at home,” demanded Taytum before game three early Thursday morning (03:00 CEST). “We’ve come back from losses all the way through the playoffs”said Theis. “That’s the most important thing for us now: to play our basketball and, above all, not to play so badly.”
The Warriors are hoping for their seventh title in their history and their first since 2018. Should the Celtics win following 14 years of waiting, they would be 18 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers once more sole record champion in the best basketball league in the world.
Source: dpa