The Golden State Warriors stumbled big-time in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After showing well for three quarters, they completely flopped in the fourth. They were outscored 40-16 in what proved to be the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA Finals history.
The Warriors were favored to win this series and many expected they’d come away with it, but that mindset might need to be revisited. Not only did the Celtics send a statement, but they also showed a clear path as to how they can win this series.
Celtics vs. Warriors Game 2 Betting Odds by BetAnySports
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtics | +4 ( -110 ) | 215½ ( -110 ) | +155 |  |
| Warriors | -4 ( -110 ) | 215½ ( -110 ) | -175 | |
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Boston Celtics
The Celtics are going to get a really focused effort from the Warriors in Game 2 – especially after that fourth-quarter calamity. The question is will the Celtics be able to withstand that punch and take a commanding 2-0 series lead?
What’s interesting here is that the Celtics are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA and they seemed to find some ways of slowing down the Warriors. Steph Curry had 34 points on 12-of-25 shooting and Andrew Wiggins had 20 on 8-of-15, but the rest of the roster didn’t do much damage. Klay Thompson had a very quiet night with just 15 points. The Celtics forced Draymond Green to shoot it 12 times – the second-most he’s taken all postseason – and he made just two of them.
Offensively, Boston seems a little bit more multifaceted – especially with their bigs. Al Horford ate the Warriors up to the tune of 26 points while hitting six threes. Boston figured a lot of things out in that fourth quarter and if they carry it over, they could find themselves up 2-0.
Golden State Warriors
While many Warriors’ bettors are stunned by the result, the reality is that there is nothing to panic about. The Warriors were up by 10 points going into the fourth quarter and had played really crisp basketball – for the most part. If they can just forget about their one disastrous quarter and get back to business, they’ll be fine. And remember, Boston even trailed by as many as 15 in the third, so the Warriors had been doing plenty of things right.
The challenge for Golden State here is that Boston is a gritty, never-give-up team. They don’t get too high and they don’t get too low. They’re also a team that plays especially well on the road. The Warriors just have to be prepared to play all four quarters on Sunday if they want to even things up.
Outlook
The Warriors had been 21-2 under Steve Kerr in Game 1’s, so this is a surprising result. But we know that Boston has excelled on the road this postseason, going 8-2 in their 10 away games.
The Warriors are at home for Game 2 and expect them to play like their playoff lives are on the line.
In many ways, they are because an 0-2 hole could be too much to overcome – even for a team that has the experience of six finals in their last eight years. They’ll be plugged in for a full 48 minutes this time around.
Pick: Warriors 115, Celtics 108.
