Boston Celtics pushed to the brink again after unraveling in Game 5’s fourth quarter against Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO – A lot happened in Boston Celtics‘favor in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Golden Empire Warriors Super star Stephen the curry failed to make the first 3 in a post-season game. After struggling with his shot for a long series, Jayson Tatum Had a good night shooting.

And, for a change, the Celtics not only weren’t beaten by the Warriors in the third quarter – but also overtook Golden State in the frame.

But, after all that, the feeling emanating from the Celtics was one of regret, as Boston scored five points in the first eight minutes of the fourth inning and watched Golden State pull away for a Win 104-94gives the Warriors a chance to wrap up the series on Thursday night at TD Garden.

“Obviously we’re a bit frustrated after having such a good third to come out in the fourth season and not perform as we need to,” Al Horford speak. “We felt like we had a chance, to start playing like we were playing earlier in the game. It was definitely, you know, tough.

“We had our backs against the wall. This is when we looked each other in the eye and we had to find it. We have an opportunity now. We have to find it. There’s no tomorrow for us.”

It looks like there could be a tomorrow, somehow, for Boston after Game 5 – despite how awful the Celtics started the game. While the Warriors walked out of the gate like a house of fire, sending Chase Center into a passionate round of applause after applause for their frantic play, the Celtics spent their first few minutes moving. moved around the field as if it were a regular February game, not Game 5 of the Finals.

Views – Boston’s post-production metric – has remade their ugly heads once again. The Celtics have committed 18 in Game 5, continuing the trend through these playoffs of 13-2 when they made 15 or less spins and now 0-7 when they have 16 or more.

And while many of them go for the Celtics fashion label, with Boston mindlessly throwing the ball around, they’re also a Golden State product that helps the Celtics pick up speed and get out of the way that Boston has been so successful at. maintained at its best.

“Credit to them,” Jaylen Brown speak. “They were a really good defensive team. Disciplined and sane. They forced us to do what we obviously weren’t doing our best. We just had to keep recognizing the game, watching the game. and make adjustments in the game.Be interested in the ball as it falls on it.

“Another game with too many spins. We paid the price.”

It was also another game where both Brown and Tatum were defeated by the Warrior. Brown made mistakes all night, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists, but just 5 for 18 from the field and 0 for 5 from the 3-point range. Tatum, meanwhile, finally hit the ball well, shooting 10 to 20 from the field and 5 to 9 from three, but had four goals and won 1 to 5 in the fourth half, when it looked like he may have gotten tired of a game he played for more than 44 minutes.

“We pulled them a little bit longer,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said when asked about Boston’s fourth-half fading after returning to the game. “Fatigue can play a part in that, whether it’s physical or some decision-making, changes are there.

After that disastrous first half – which saw Boston just 12 points behind, rather than double the number the Celtics could have deserved to be relegated – the Celtics overturned their expected scenario in the most recent of play-offs by scoring the first 10 points of the second half and outmaneuvering Golden State in the third quarter after falling 49 points in that span in the first four games.

But Golden State scored eight points in the final 80 seconds of the third quarter to regain the lead in the fourth quarter, and then edged Boston 18-5 in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter to take the game. go – and push the Celtics to the brink.

And, while Golden State once again deserves credit for how crumbling the Celtics have been, it’s also the latest reminder – even during a game – of this Boston team going back to a… how crazy. After missing their first 12 3-pointers in the game, the Celtics tore through eight straight goals, creating one clear look after another. And, in tearing the Warriors net in the third quarter, they consistently executed their game plan with clarity.

Then the fourth quarter kicks in, and it all falls apart.

“Yes, they have increased their physical strength,” said Udoka. “They’re pretty much converting. As you’ve seen in the third quarter, anytime we’re not stagnant, let’s go against the crowd, which can look pretty easy, get the shots of us. would like.

“Like I said, there’s just movement from game to game. Not only that, but quarter to quarter. A third inning was 35 points when we moved the ball, entered the lane. road, infiltration, kick, wide spot – out of the shots we wanted, we had to move on to the 4th. Basically only 14 or so until the young boys were obviously late. is a quarter of night and day from third and fourth.”

Yet even after all that, Boston is confident it can dig itself out of this hole. Why? Well, in part, because Boston has been in this position multiple times in this post-season period.

“I’ve said it before: You better be confident, right?” Tatum asked. “We don’t have to win two in one day. We only need to win one on Thursday.

“We’ve been in this situation before. So it’s not over. Must win on Thursday. That’s all we have to worry about right now.”

Celtics lost 3-2 to the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, before hitting the road and winning Game 6 in Milwaukee – in which Tatum scored 46 points – and then returning home and winning Game 7.

Boston then went on to win game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals first Miami Heatalthough the Celtics had to survive a historic near-collapse in the final minutes of the fourth to win that game.

Now, the Celtics have to dig another hole to hang Banner 18 on the TD Garden rafters.

“I had no choice,” Brown said, when asked why he’s more confident than ever in his team’s chances of winning the NBA championship following Monday’s loss. “We have no choice. It’s win or go home at this point. We’ve worked incredibly hard throughout the season to put ourselves in this position. I still feel like we are. There’s so much better basketball to play that we haven’t played the last two games.

“I hope that the next two games we play Celtic basketball and try to do our best going forward as I know we can. I know the city will be behind us. It’s going to be a big game. .”