Celtics

The series is tied 2-2 ... for now. Here's what's going down at the Chase Center as the Celtics and Warriors take their talents back to the Bay for a ...

Jay-Z was in attendance on Monday. He was also at Chase Center for Game 1 of the Finals. -- Youngmisuk Meanwhile, Tatum, who has paid homage to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan throughout the postseason, looked poised to drop 50, er -- was back on his GOAT vibes rocking a T-shirt with Tiger Woods on it. Boston managed to stick around in the game despite a generally awful offensive performance throughout the first half. That includes being outscored by 35 points in the two games back in Boston. Two things of note on the Warriors side: Andre Iguodala got some first quarter minutes that did not go well whatsoever. The Celtics outscored Golden State 35-24 in the third, which allowed Boston to cut what was a 12-point halftime deficit to one. The Warriors shot over 50 percent from the field. After knocking down a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer, Jordan Poole walked to the corner of the court and screamed back at fans as they cheered him on. The early 2000s would be proud of this series. The combined score throughout the first four games was 422-421, with the Warriors holding the ever-so-slight advantage. Wiggs is making the game look easy. What was less obvious: How the latest installment of this fascinating series would play out.

Andrew Wiggins delivered the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points and the Golden State ...

Golden State wound up 9 of 40 from beyond the arc — Wiggins 0 of 6. The Celtics were sloppy in stretches, committing 18 turnovers. Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason. "Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we're made of." The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State's success in the second half. If the Celtics can win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points.

Golden State dominated early and overcame a quiet night from Stephen Curry to move within a win of another championship.

Buckner: The Celtics should be on their way to the title. That’s the part where we’ve got to have carry-over, not only game to game but quarter to quarter.” Yet the Celtics also found themselves in uncharted waters as they fell to 7-1 in these playoffs after a loss. In the decisive sequence, Wiggins scored 10 fourth-quarter points and threw down a thunderous dunk that proved to be the dagger. Later, Draymond Green and Tatum engaged in a jostling match in front of the Celtics bench. At several moments in the fourth, the Celtics appeared to crack under the pressure. Boston committed 18 turnovers and fell to 0-7 in this postseason when it turns the ball over at least 16 times. Boston did its best to make up for its slow start by briefly grasping control in the third quarter. With the victory, Golden State moved to the cusp of its fourth title in the past eight seasons. Golden State reclaimed the lead by the end of the third period and pushed ahead to start the fourth. It was a great effort, but we’ve got to rev it back up and do it again.” But we’ve got a lot of talent and depth to make up for that.

The Celtics beat themselves with turnovers and missed free throws in Game 5 as they fell to the Warriors, 104-94. Here are our takeaways from the loss as ...

As for Jaylen Brown, he struggled mightily in the first half with four points on 2-of-10 shooting, along with three turnovers. While he did his part to get Boston back into the game, Tatum once again failed to make his presence felt in the fourth quarter. Tatum's night got off to a rough start with a turnover on the C's first possession. Wiggins came out firing with 16 points in the first half, his postseason career-high for a single half. They ended up outscoring the Celtics by 15 in the quarter to earn a 104-94 win and a 3-2 series lead. But Jordan Poole shifted the momentum back in the Golden State Warriors' favor with a 33-footer to end the frame, and Boston wouldn't recover.

Alas, it could also make the regret that much more painful. Celtics Talk: Can Celtics bounce back after fumbling away Game 4 of the NBA Finals vs Warriors? | ...

And even as Curry puts on a tantalizing display that leaves you wondering if he could be the Finals MVP regardless of series winner, it doesn’t feel like a green-goggles take to suggest that the Celtics are the best team in this Finals matchup. Our minds are left jogging back to the start of the postseason when Boston coach Ime Udoka announced with some swagger that the Celtics weren’t a track team and they weren’t running from anybody. Sure, there were breaks along the way (like an injured Khris Middleton) but there’s a case to be made that Boston has taken on four of the five most talented teams in the playoffs. "That’s a lot of basketball, but I love it," said Brown. "The alternative would be we’re at home and mad and watching. So we just got to come out and play basketball the way we know we can." This season would be a lot less stressful if the Celtics didn’t make everything so difficult. The optimistic view: The Celtics haven’t lost consecutive games at any point this postseason. His ability to maintain that level of defensive impact could be vital to the Celtics grinding through this series. It's a blessing to try to soak it up and stay present as much as you can." Williams said Sunday that he’s feeling better and doesn’t expect the tweak to hinder his ability to play in Game 5. Robert Williams limped off late in Game 4 as his left knee continues to be the ultimate wild card in this series. He has as many makes beyond the arc (14) as inside of it.

The Boston Celtics have finalized their injury report for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors.

- 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. On Monday night, the Boston Celtics are in California to take on the Golden State Warriors for Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center. The series is currently tied up at 2-2 after the Warriors won Game 4 on Friday night at the TD Garden.