NBA Finals

The NBA Finals begin tonight, and the teams will be familiar even if some of the faces aren't. The Golden State Warriors played in every finals from 2015 to ...

Marcus Smart, who this season became the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in 1996, will be tasked trying to contain Curry's near-infinite shooting range. The Boston Celtics haven't gotten this far for a dozen years, but are making their 22nd trip to the finals as a franchise. "They've won three elimination games, won seven games on the road — including last Sunday in Miami to clinch a spot in the finals," Goldman said.

In Game 1 of the N.B.A. finals, Golden State is raining 3-pointers as it tries to fend off a young Celtics team hungry for a trophy of its own.

Payton, who broke his elbow during the Western Conference semifinals, said he was “not quite there yet.” Iguodala initially did not sound optimistic about playing in the finals, saying that he was trying to “finish the season walking on two feet.” Smart said on Wednesday that it was a “pretty serious injury” and that he was “thankful to be able to play.” Van Gundy also said he wasn’t sure why he had been pulled from broadcasting Game 1, and that he hoped to be back for Game 2 Sunday in San Francisco. He had heeded his mother’s advice about playing college basketball for a Black coach, to learn leadership skills from someone who looked like him. He played for professional teams in Mexico, Australia, Spain, Finland and South Korea. He was a player development coach with the N.B.A.’s Denver Nuggets when Carmelo Anthony was there. It’s worth remembering, too, that this is the first N.B.A. finals game for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the rest of the team here in San Francisco, following the franchise’s move across the bay for the start of the 2019-20 season. This is rather unusual for a finals game: Celtics Coach Ime Udoka has subbed in a lineup featuring four bench players to play with Jayson Tatum. And so far, the lineup has outscored Golden State by a point. Also, get this: The Celtics are shooting just 38.5 percent from the field. Jones won a preposterous 10 championships with the Celtics, and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1984. His six 3-pointers in the first quarter set an N.B.A. record for most 3s in a finals quarter, as well as most ulcers caused in the Boston fanbase. How? They’re shooting the ball well, they’re getting some nice offense from Marcus Smart, and Payton Pritchard and Daniel Theis have both come off the bench to hit 3-pointers. This was San Francisco.

Curry scored the most points in a Finals quarter since Michael Jordan in 1993.

Curry has now made at least five 3-pointers in a single Finals quarter three times during his career. The six made 3-pointers are a Finals record for a single quarter. The 21 points were the highest-scoring single quarter in the NBA Finals since 1993 (Michael Jordan had 22 vs.

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are hosting the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday evening in San Francisco, and Curry is off ...

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ended their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. The Warriors are in the Finals for the sixth time in the last eight years, which no other team in the league has done over this time. In the first quarter, the superstar guard made six three-pointers, which is the most that have ever been made in a Finals quarter.

The Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA finals history to a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 on Thursday night.

Curry scored a smooth 21 points in the opening period on 7-for-8 shooting, including 6 of 8 made threes – missing a half-court heave at the buzzer. “It’s an unbelievable feeling just to be here and competing at this level against such a dynamic franchise the last couple years,” Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. Brown’s 3 at 8:22 made it 94-92 before Klay Thompson answered with a three. “I was just getting the looks, knocking them down. The 15th-year big man, who turns 36 Friday, played in 141 previous postseason games, most ever before playing in the NBA Finals. “I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time.

Steph Curry, Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor are some of the basketball legends who hold individual NBA Finals records.

On top of that, Horry holds an NBA Finals record involving the number seven. Johnson also holds the second-highest mark for turnovers in a Finals game. Russell and Chamberlain have an overwhelming presence in the Finals rebounding records. Johnson turned it over 10 times against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the 1980 Finals, which came during his rookie season. Russell has two Finals games with 40 rebounds. Baylor is one of just seven players to ever score 50 or more points in a Finals game.

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has erupted for an NBA Finals-record six three-pointers in a quarter to open Game 1 against the Celtics.

Curry already owns the NBA record for threes in a Finals game after hitting nine from deep in 2018. Curry also holds the record for most total threes in the NBA Finals, Playoffs and regular season. The record was previously held by Kenny Smith (1995), Ray Allen (2010) and Curry — who hit five threes in an NBA Finals quarter in both 2015 and 2018.

Curry already holds the record for the most 3-pointers in a Finals game. The Warriors were on the floor for the team record, but not the team that set it.

The Warriors and Celtics could both chase the team record for 3-pointers in an NBA Finals game. Curry represents 21.9 percent of all NBA Finals player games in which they made at least six 3-point shots. That surpassed the combined 35 between the Cavaliers and Warriors in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals.

Then came the fourth quarter and a surprising collapse by the more experienced team as the Warriors dropped a rare Game 1 of a playoff series under coach Steve ...

It was the biggest blown lead after three quarters of an NBA Finals game in 30 years as the experienced Warriors fell apart down the stretch instead of a Celtics team filled with Finals newcomers. Boston made its first seven 3-pointers of the quarter and ran away, leading to chants of “Let's Go Celtics!” in the closing seconds in a half-empty arena. Then came the fourth quarter and a surprising collapse by the more experienced team as the Warriors dropped a rare Game 1 of a playoff series under coach Steve Kerr, losing the opener of the NBA Finals 120-108 to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

The Boston Celtics came into San Francisco and stole Game 1 away from the Golden State Warriors. We break down the player ratings for the best performers on ...

But it did appear like Curry was forcing things a little too much — especially in the second half as he tried to recapture the fire of the first quarter. He did however, have 11 rebounds and five assists to go with his six points. He had 20 points (8-of-15 shooting) and five rebounds. But it was the Celtics' "others" who really stepped up big in the fourth quarter. Much was made of the Marcus Smart vs. Well, he absolutely balled out in Game 1 and was a key part of the Celtics' massive fourth quarter in which they outscored the Warriors 40-16.

The Boston Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA Finals history to a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 on Thursday ...

... Golden State is 21-3 in postseason Game 1s dating to the 2014-15 season when the Warriors captured the franchise’s first championship in 40 years — and they had won 13 straight playoff series openers at home, third-longest streak in NBA history, before this. Curry scored a smooth 21 points in the opening period on 7-for-8 shooting, including 6 of 8 made 3s — missing a half-court heave at the buzzer. Brown scored five quick points early in the fourth and assisted on an alley-oop dunk to Robert Williams III as the Celtics pulled back within 92-87 with 9:35 remaining. “It’s not ideal but I believe in who we are and how we deal with adversity, how we responded all year, how we respond in the playoffs after a loss,” Curry said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling just to be here and competing at this level against such a dynamic franchise the last couple years,” Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. Coach Ime Udoka expected him to be limited to about 20 minutes as has been the recent pattern. Celtics: Williams started after being listed as questionable with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee and finished with eight points and four blocks while playing 24 minutes. “Boston played a brilliant quarter. The 15th-year big man, who turns 36 Friday, played in 141 previous postseason games, most ever before playing in the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum was the lone Celtics regular who struggled offensively, finishing 3 for 17, though he did have 13 assists. “I was just getting the looks, knocking them down. “I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time.

Or will the Boston Celtics win title No. 18 and break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history? The first step toward the title will be ...

Boston is just one road win shy of tying the record of nine road wins in a single postseason set by the 1994-95 Houston Rockets. Can they get it on Sunday in Game 2? While Tatum is shooting 17.6%, the rest of the Celtics have combined to shoot 59.7% (37-for-62). The Boston Celtics scored 40 points in the 4th quarter tonight. Less than a minute later, Smart delivers the dagger 3 to put Boston up 117-103 with 1:43 to play. He makes both to give him 30 points on the night and puts the Warriors back up by double-digits (77-66). We’ve now seen a 15-point swing in the fourth quarter and there’s still 5:08 to play. It is the fifth time this postseason that the Warriors have scored at least 35 points in the third quarter. 9. It’s been another big third quarter for the Warriors so far — a theme for this year’s postseason. Curry shoots the 3-pointer after the whistle and it splashes (don’t waste them when they don’t count, Steph). Can the Warriors win their fourth title in eight years (and seventh in franchise history)? Or will the Boston Celtics win title No. 18 and break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history? Meanwhile, Curry has no points on 0-for-2 shooting so far in the second quarter and was just hit with back-to-back fouls in less than a minute. 15. Big response from the Celtics with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 47-47 with five minutes remaining in the half.

Every game of the NBA Finals is live on Sky Sports; watch Celtics @ Warriors – Game 2, live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event, on Sunday night from 12.45am ...

Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and Klay Thompson had 15 for the Warriors, who completely lost their way in the fourth despite boasting much more experience than their opponents. They outscored the Celtics 38-24 in the third to turn a two-point half-time deficit into a 12-point lead. The Celtics' chief scoring option Jayson Tatum operated more as a facilitator, finishing with 12 points, 13 assists and just two turnovers but shot just 3-for-17 from the field. Curry exploded in the first frame in San Francisco for 21 points. They came in and earned the win." The Warriors have been noted for their third-quarter runs during their dynastic run and so it proved here.

Why Boston's relative inexperience might have been overrated, that overwhelming 4th-quarter run and more from the Celtics' theft of Finals homecourt.

And that’s what should concern the Warriors. Not only did they lose a game with Tatum misfiring (3-17 FGs), they must anticipate a strong Game 2 response. And even if that’s not necessarily true, it’s perhaps the right mindset to have to allow that motivation — or desperation — to instill a sense of urgency within an aging player. The usual roles were reversed and the outcome was delivered in a most unanticipated manner: The Celtics shot 51% from deep for the game and made seven 3s to start the fourth. Sure did, managing to throw the Finals and the Warriors for a loop. The way Horford sank timely 3s in the fourth quarter, applied traps defensively, and essentially showed the leadership the Celtics have valued since his return this season proved invaluable. After what he did against the Bucks and Heat in the previous rounds, a grand entrance in the Finals shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He was on pace to finally get a 40-piece in this postseason (he came six short, though). The Celtics arrived here with little rest, were on the road against a team previously unbeaten in this building in the playoffs, were down 12 to start the fourth quarter, staring at a percolating Stephen Curry, with Jayson Tatum unable to get buckets … and proceeded to punch the Warriors right in the mouth. Against the Warriors. Against Curry and Klay Thompson. This was a case of stolen identity. And usually it takes one stolen game to win a title. Did the Celtics actually out-small the Warriors and also out-shoot them from deep? What you saw was the searing response of a team that actually was experienced under bright lights.

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant sent out a tweet during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriros on Thursday evening.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ended their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. This season, Durant and the Nets got swept in the first-round by the Celtics. The Celtics won the game by a score of 120-108 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Steph Curry had an incredible move in Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriros.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ended their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. However, they had been in the Conference Finals four out of the last six years, so they have been in the mix but hadn't broken through until this season. Curry and the Warriors are in the Finals for the sixth time in the last eight years, and if they win the title they will have won four NBA Championships in eight years.

Boston's fourth-quarter run was marked by hot shooting, swift passing and small ball -- sound familiar?

From that point on, they went 26-7 with a net rating of plus-13.8, five points better than the closest challenger, and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics know how to fight back because they've been fighting back all year long, and Udoka continued to preach resilience as the Warriors extended their lead in the third quarter. Defensively, the Celtics went to a lot more switching and pre-switching in the fourth quarter in order to limit Curry's shooting and the Warriors' penetration. Udoka said the small unit played also played with more physicality and "seemed to wear [the Warriors] down a little bit." They held Golden State to 6-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range, before the benches were emptied in the final minute, and forced as many turnovers as the Warriors had assists. "Strength in Numbers" has been the Warriors' motto for years, but on Thursday it certainly applied to the Celtics. The attack was so widespread that the Warriors had nobody to key in on. The Celtics also used small-ball, a Golden State staple of years past, to dominate the fourth quarter on both ends. They moved the ball quickly, penetrating into the paint and kicking out to players in perfect position with even more perfect passes. Instead the Boston Celtics went on an unprecedented run in the fourth quarter, sparked by lights-out shooting and pinpoint ball-movement, to come away with a 120-108 Game 1 win in San Francisco, draining the life from what had been an electrically rabid sellout crowd. His 13 assists, however, epitomized a Celtics team -- bolstered by the messaging of head coach Ime Udoka -- committed to making the right play, no matter how simple, trusting that it would eventually yield positive results. A 38-point third quarter of that nature has been a knockout blow for many an unfortunate opponent over the last eight seasons of Warriors basketball. A scoring run that leaves you scouring the record books, unable to fathom that something this devastating has ever happened before.

Jaylen Brown fueled a comeback charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers and the Boston Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in ...

… Golden State is 21-3 in postseason Game 1s dating to the 2014-15 season when the Warriors captured the franchise’s first championship in 40 years — and they had won 13 straight playoff series openers at home, third-longest streak in NBA history, before this. … Tatum was 2 for 9 in the first half and 3 for 17 overall for 12 points. … Boston and the Warriors were even on the boards at 39. Curry scored a smooth 21 points in the opening period on 7-for-8 shooting, including 6 of 8 made 3s — missing a half-court heave at the buzzer. “It’s an unbelievable feeling just to be here and competing at this level against such a dynamic franchise the last couple years,” Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. Phoenix in 1993. Brown’s 3 at 8:22 made it 94-92 before Klay Thompson answered with a 3. “Boston played a brilliant quarter. Jayson Tatum was the lone Celtics regular who struggled offensively, finishing 3 for 17, though he did have 13 assists. The 15th-year big man, who turns 36 Friday, played in 141 previous postseason games, most ever before playing in the NBA Finals. “I was just getting the looks, knocking them down. “I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time.

Jaylen Brown fueled a comeback charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers and the Boston Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in ...

Curry scored a smooth 21 points in the opening period on 7-for-8 shooting, including 6 of 8 made 3s — missing a half-court heave at the buzzer. Thompson contributed 15 points as the Warriors began their sixth finals in eight years after making five straight trips from 2015-19 and winning three championships. They came in and earned the win." "Boston played a brilliant quarter. Brown's 3 at 8:22 made it 94-92 before Klay Thompson answered with a 3. Jayson Tatum was the lone Celtics regular who struggled offensively, finishing 3 for 17.

The Warriors — with Curry on fire — came out strong, but the Celtics' message in Game 1 was clear: they didn't come all this way – surviving Game 7s against ...

Or when Smart got stuck behind a Kevon Looney screen and Curry got free for another three – all in the space of a few minutes in the first quarter. Wiggins (20) and Thompson (15) were the only other Warriors starters to hit double figures while the Celtics had five different players hit multiple threes as they shot 21-of-41 from deep as a team. Perhaps those early jitters were a factor in some early defensive breakdowns, such as when Smart – the NBA’s defensive player of the year– got confused in transition and left Curry wide-open for a triple. Wiggins kept rolling in the second half and his 12-point third quarter was a big reason why the Warriors were able to go up 12 to start the fourth. It's proof of how much of a luxury it is for the Warriors to have such a talented fourth option. Andrew Wiggins had played in a total of five playoff games in his first seven NBA seasons and has already more than tripled that total in the Warriors' run so far. One of the important questions before the ball went up was: What impact will the relative levels of experience the two teams are bringing to the Finals have? Meanwhile Brown started turning it on early the fourth quarter as he helped engineer a 14-3 run with a contested three, penetration leading to a lob for Robert Williams and another basket off a steal. Together they came into the Finals averaging 49.9 points a game, but the Warriors' switch-heavy scheme and their ability to keep showing the Celtics wings a long list of long, agile defenders that often started with Wiggins and was always backstopped by Draymond Green caused Boston problems. Tatum in particular struggled, watching a number of open looks from three hit the rim hard and bounce the wrong way (he finished 3-of-17 from the floor and 1-of-5 from deep). But he did chip in 13 assists as he was quick to move the ball out of double teams and traps and some of the Celtics' secondary scorers – Derrick White and Al Horford especially – benefitted from the open looks. But the Warriors are a different beast. going without a bucket for five minutes in the fourth.

Boston seized a win to open the NBA Finals and put Golden State in the rarest of situations.

So the Warriors can comfort themselves with their vast experience and their history of resilience and all those banners hanging above the Chase Center court. We’ve won a road game, at least one road game, in I don’t know how many consecutive series.” The guys are good, but…” Green kept pausing, cocking his head to the left and raising his palms, as if to say, without saying it, but there’s no way they can do that again. They’re stronger defensively than the Mavericks and Grizzlies were. So no, it’s not a hit to the confidence at all. And they won this game despite getting just 12 points (on 3-for-17 shooting) from franchise star Jayson Tatum. Sure, the Golden State Warriors have been down in playoff series before, and knocked off kilter in the Finals before. “You get a chance to do something else, do it in a different way, embrace the challenge. Horford, who averaged 1.3 threes per game this season, hit six (on eight attempts). Smart, a career 33 percent shooter on threes, went 4 for 7. Marcus Smart hit a pair of threes. Al Horford hit a pair of threes. And then, all that familiarity and experience feel like a tattered, moth-riddled security blanket.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A backbreaking barrage of 3-pointers that leaves the opponent cloaked in helplessness, searching for answers from a higher power.

From that point on, they went 26-7 with a net rating of plus-13.8, five points better than the closest challenger, and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics know how to fight back because they've been fighting back all year long, and Udoka continued to preach resilience as the Warriors extended their lead in the third quarter. Defensively, the Celtics went to a lot more switching and pre-switching in the fourth quarter in order to limit Curry's shooting and the Warriors' penetration. Udoka said the small unit played also played with more physicality and "seemed to wear [the Warriors] down a little bit." They held Golden State to 6-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range, before the benches were emptied in the final minute, and forced as many turnovers as the Warriors had assists. "Strength in Numbers" has been the Warriors' motto for years, but on Thursday it certainly applied to the Celtics. The attack was so widespread that the Warriors had nobody to key in on. The Celtics also used small-ball, a Golden State staple of years past, to dominate the fourth quarter on both ends. They moved the ball quickly, penetrating into the paint and kicking out to players in perfect position with even more perfect passes. Instead the Boston Celtics went on an unprecedented run in the fourth quarter, sparked by lights-out shooting and pinpoint ball-movement, to come away with a 120-108 Game 1 win in San Francisco, draining the life from what had been an electrically rabid sellout crowd. His 13 assists, however, epitomized a Celtics team -- bolstered by the messaging of head coach Ime Udoka -- committed to making the right play, no matter how simple, trusting that it would eventually yield positive results. A 38-point third quarter of that nature has been a knockout blow for many an unfortunate opponent over the last eight seasons of Warriors basketball. A scoring run that leaves you scouring the record books, unable to fathom that something this devastating has ever happened before.

Usually Stephen Curry blitzes end up sending even the most determined squads cowering to their corners, but the Warriors haven't encountered these Boston ...

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