"It doesn’t matter if they’re at home or on the road, when the game gets tight, they shrink" - Chris Haynes outlines the biggest shortcomings of the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals
Before the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka said championship experience was a little overrated. He could not have been more wrong, as the Golden State Warriors showed the DNA of a championship team in Games 4 and 5.
Over the last two games, the Celtics' young players have shown their nerves on the NBA’s biggest stage. Speaking on "The Dan Patrick Show," Chris Haynes pointed out how Boston’s best players have been rattled in their back-to-back losses. He said:
'Turnovers. Carelessness. They’re showing their lack of experience at this stage. It just looks like the stage is a little bit too much for them, especially if the game gets tight.
"It doesn’t matter if they’re at home or on the road, when the game gets tight, they shrink."
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The young Boston Celtics showed they were not immune to the pressure of the NBA Finals. This was very evident at the start of crucial Game 6, where they looked out of sorts.
Golden State raced to a 27-16 lead after only 12 minutes. It was 51-39 by halftime, but Boston could have easily been down bigger than that had a few of the Warriors’ open shots gone in.
Stories of the first half:
Celtics - 13-of-26 two-pointers
Warriors - 17-of-26 two-pointers
Celtics - 2 points off 3 Warriors turnovers
Warriors - 13 points off 8 Celtics turnovers
When the Celtics bounced back in the third quarter to take the lead, the Warriors seemed unfazed. They just went about their business and kept going.
It didn’t take long for Boston to stop executing their plays and coughing up the ball to give control of the game and the series to Golden State.
A 39-point first half for the Celtics. Tied for their fourth-fewest points ever in a first half of an NBA Finals game.
The fourth quarter of Game 1 might be an outlier as the Celtics, in the first championship game of their respective careers, stunned the Warriors.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green wouldn’t let that happen again, particularly in the pivotal Game 5.
The Golden State Warriors’ defense has been better than that of the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have had the best defense in the NBA since mid-January. That hasn’t been the case in the finals, where the Golden State Warriors are beating them in their own game.
Over the last five games, Golden State’s defensive rating is at 108.3, while Boston has 110.6.
Points scored in the last 5 minutes of first five Finals games:
Luke Kornet: 5
Jayson Tatum: 3
(h/t @bigjimmurray) https://t.co/bn0So6Vg3S
Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II have been especially spectacular in their defensive assignments. Jayson Tatum isn’t just simply missing shots. The Celtics superstar has been bothered by the length and physicality of Wiggins and GPII.
Boston has now coughed up the ball 75 points, which has resulted in 103 points. It’s the most points given up by a team over a five-game span in any NBA Finals.
Golden State’s shooters have often gotten their rhythm as the Celtics scramble back on defense following a miscue.
The Warriors scored 22 points off 18 Celtics' turnovers in Game 5.
The Warriors' 103 points off turnovers are the most by any team through the 1st 5 Finals games since the 1992 Bulls. h/t @EliasSports
Boston is 1-7 with 16+ TO in a game this postseason (13-2 in other games) https://t.co/d9YAwisEgS
The Celtics’ inexperience and the Warriors’ underrated defense may be the deciding factors that’ll give the latter their fourth championship in six years.