3 adjustments the Golden State Warriors have to make to bounce back in Game 2 of the NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors 120-108 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, taking home-court advantage and surprising basketball fans. The Dubs will have to do a much better job in Game 2 if they want to tie the series.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead, it appeared that the Warriors were going to get an easy victory. However, the Celtics scored 40 points in the last quarter while limiting Golden State to only 16 points.
Boston's Al Horford was fantastic and Jayson Tatum recorded a career-high 13 assists as the Warriors fans left the area heartbroken on Thursday night.
The home team will have to make these three adjustments for Game 2 in order to be more competitive.
Golden State Warriors must show up
The Golden State Warriors did not have enough aggressive players during Game 1. Steph Curry was outstanding as always, leading with a game-high 34 points. However, the other starters were far from good.
Andrew Wiggins had a solid performance with 20 points, but he could have been more aggressive, especially inside the paint. Klay Thompson shot only 14 times in 39 minutes, ending with 15 points.
The Warriors' frontcourt of Draymond Green and Kevon Looney was horrible on the offensive end. The two combined for eight points on 3-for-16 shooting, and Green missed all four of his 3-point attempts. While their defense was solid, they will have to do a much better job on offense.
Congrats to @Money23Green of the @warriors on moving up to 9th on the All-Time NBA Finals Steals List! #NBA75 https://t.co/72m4lcJ8my
Finally, Jordan Poole, who averaged 18.5 points per game during the regular season, scored only nine in Game 1. Poole had seven shots and made only two. This was his first NBA Finals game, so he may do a better job in Game 2.
The Warriors will have to play much better defense
During the regular season, the Boston Celtics ranked 14th in 3-point percentage at 35.6 percent. However, the Golden State Warriors allowed them to convert 21 out of 41 long-range shots (51.2%) in Game 1.
![The Golden State Warriors allowed the Celtics to make 51.2 percent of their 3-pointers in Game 1. [Image source: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/06/0344f-16542877776982-1920.jpg)
While it's true that Marcus Smart and Al Horford had hot shooting nights, the fact is that the Warriors defense was simply not good enough.
With 21 3-pointers in Game 1, the Celtics became only the second team to make that many 3-pointers in a single game of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors were tied for first place in opponent 3-point percentage during the regular season. Their foes made only 33.9 percent, yet they allowed the Celtics to make it rain. Steve Kerr will have to figure out how to stop Boston and neutralize its shooters.
Players will have to make better decisions
In Game 1, the Warriors attempted 45 3-pointers and made 19. The shooting percentage (42.2%) is strong, but it may have exposed a flaw in the offensive gameplan for the team.
When there are amazing shooters like Curry and Thompson on the team, it's hard not to take a lot of shots from beyond the arc. However, the Warriors attempted only 43 2-point field goals.
The @celtics entered the 4th quarter down by 12 before outscoring their opponent 40-16 in Q4 to claim the Game 1 victory and take a 1-0 series lead!
☘ Game 2: Sun. 8pm/et on ABC ☘ https://t.co/05LyPPvPiP
Boston's Jayson Tatum had a poor shooting night (3-for-17 shooting), which is why he got his teammates more involved. He finished with a career-best 13 assists. In contrast, the Warriors kept forcing shots and were 2-for-8 from long range in the fourth quarter.
In contrast, they attempted seven shots from the paint and made four of them. While the Warriors' "Live by 3, Die by 3" approach has been successful, it will be tough to be very effective from long range against this strong Celtics defense.