Celtics Win Against Warriors at TD Garden

In the history of the NBA Finals, the winner of Game 3 has an 82% chance of winning the entire series. The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors have been clashing in the finals. The Celtics took the lead in the series by winning Game 3.

Due to the Warriors having a better record, they have the advantage. Home court advantage consists of games 1, 2, 5, and 7. They will be at the location of the team with a better record. The young Celtics team stole game one from the Warriors possibly ending their home-court advantage. Warriors adjusted after the bittersweet loss in game one and proceeded to win in a dominant game two.

Game 3 was a great game on both sides of the basketball. The defense and offense from the Warriors and Celtics made it hard to tell who would win the game. The young core of the Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams III, applied the pressure early. Tatum became the facilitator for the team, leading the Celtics in assists by outplaying the rest of his teammates. Smart, a Defensive Player of the Year, put on a stellar performance and scored over 20 points.

The Celtics tied a record that stood for over 35 years previously held by their rivals the Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Cooper set the record during the 1984 NBA Finals. Smart, Tatum, and Brown are the latest trio to have over 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds in a single game during the NBA Finals.

Warriors stars, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green gave their all to take the lead in the series.

Warriors Dynasty Similar to the  Legendary Bulls Dynasty

Warriors fans had an interesting night. The team gave everything they had, but they knew the intensity the Celtics were dishing was the same hunger they once had. The Warriors have become a legendary team that has had two separate dynasties in eight years. Curry, Thompson, and Green have been together for years and they are currently 3-2 in the finals. The only two years that they lost were in 2016 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and again in 2019 against the Toronto Raptors.

The other two years the Warriors didn’t make the finals were 2020 and 2021. Those two years were also a struggle for the Celtics as they fell short of the finals against the Brooklyn Nets. They also failed to reach the finals in 2020 against the Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, and Tyler Herro. Celtics fans have waited a long time to finally reach the finals after missing it since 2010.

Green fouled and Curry and Thompson came close to being fouled out as well. The Celtics made the necessary defensive changes in order to make the game difficult. The Warriors tried to make adjustments for the Celtics and even took the lead after not leading since the first basket of the game. The comeback became reality for the Warriors as soon the Celtics quickly halted their momentum.

Celtics Vet Horford Shifts the Momentum for the Win

Celtics veteran Al Horford came ready to win. He became a defensive monster with blocks and steals to give Boston the fourth-quarter spark that they needed. Horford ended with double-digit points after only having two in Game 2.

Everyone seemed to put on stellar performances. The Boston bench, Derrick White, Grant Williams, and Payton Pritchard, contributed to the action. Their presence in Game 3 was felt among the fans in TD Garden. The whole crowd was excited to see the Celtics get the win.

Brown made sure his performance on both sides of the ball was better than in Game 2, which showed that the right adjustments would give the team the win. Brown, effective in his finishing, shooting and defending made it easier for his teammates. Tatum was finally able to get going in the second half. Smart had clutch buckets that he made, especially two crucial corner threes that seemed effortless.

Game 4 was back at TD garden. The Warriors managed to tie the series before returning to the Chase Center in California. Game 5 will be on June 13.

Written by Semetrius Holmes
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

ABC News: NBA Finals Game 3: Boston Celtics v. Golden State Warriors; by Jim Donnelly
CBS News: Celtics’ trio of Brown, Tatum, Smart match NBA Finals history in Game 3
Bleacher Report: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Praised for Offensive Dominance in Celtics’ Game 3 Win; by Paul Kasabian

Images Courtesy of Erik Drost’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License