The fallout continues from an incredible Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors looked in prime position to go up 1-0 in the series, thanks to a 21-point first quarter from Steph Curry to go with their patented third-quarter dominance which saw them win the quarter 38-24, but the Celtics had other ideas.
Boston completely dominated the fourth quarter, which they won 40-16 to complete a double-digit turnaround and hand Golden State their first home loss in these playoffs. Curry couldn’t get going after his hot start while the likes of Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green failed to step up either. On his podcast, the day after the game, Draymond took responsibility for the loss.
“When [Steph] comes out guns blazing like that, playing the way he’s playing, I have to make sure I do my part.”@Money23Green breaks down Game 1 of the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/ePifVytIZn
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 4, 2022
“When I look back at the game, I failed him (Steph Curry) because I didn’t play well. When he comes out guns blazing like that, playing the way he’s playing, I have to make sure that I do my part, to make sure that ends in (a) win.”
Draymond certainly struggled big time in Game 1 and he clapped back at those who called him out for it. He shot just 2-12 from the field and while you don’t expect a great deal out of him scoring-wise, he only had 5 assists in the game but had 3 turnovers to go with it. The Celtics are going to let Green shoot it and it is up to him to start knocking down at least some of these shots. They can ill-afford him being a liability at times, as the Celtics defense will then just zone in on Curry and then he’s going to have a hard time.
The Warriors haven’t faced a team remotely as good as the Celtics during their run to the Finals and they need to up their game. The likes of Klay and Poole, in particular, need to pick it up as they went a combined 8-21 in Game 1. As for Draymond, even if the shots aren’t going in, he needs to do a better job as a facilitator if they are to tie things up after Game 2.
