Well, that was a strange game. If Game 4 was Steph Curry’s game to show he is the heart of the Warriors’ dynasty, then Game 5 was the rest of the Warriors’ dynasty showing they aren’t too bad either. And, boy, did they prove it by absolutely beating up the Boston Celtics.
Everyone on the Warriors came to play tonight, apart from Steph Curry, and it showed. They showed no mercy to the Celtics, absolutely dominating them from the first minute to the last. Apart from a Celtics surge in the 3rd quarter, where it looked as if they could actually win, the game was all Warriors.
Both teams were awful shooting tonight, though at different stages. The Celtics went 0-12 on their first twelve 3-point attempts, while Golden State completely dried up in the 3rd. They shot 22.5% at the 3-point line. 22.5% for GOLDEN STATE! Even Steph Curry went 0-5 on threes.
But, still, Golden State dominated from the field and managed to hold a 16-point lead for their highest in the game during the first half, where Steph Curry had practically no role in scoring any of the points. He had a terrible game (by his standards), as you can see with his 0 threes made, but the Warriors picked up all the slack and more.
Draymond Green came to play tonight. He had 8-points, 6-assists, and 8-rebounds in a huge performance for the Warriors. He matched his PPG in the 1st quarter alone tonight and did not look back.
His great play was a massive momentum boost for Golden State and riled up the Chase Center into a frenzy. With the Celtics deciding not to play for 3/4 quarters tonight, they were no match against Draymond and the Warrior’s intensity. And in classic Draymond fashion, he still managed to foul out. Just this time, he gave his team the boost they desperately needed.
Andrew Wiggins had his breakout game of the finals, putting up 26-points and setting up Jordan Poole on what turned out to be the momentum-shifting 3-point shot of the game.
With about 5 seconds left, Wiggins is passed the ball after missed shot by the Celtics, runs to half-court, switches it out to Jordan Poole, who drains a 30-foot three pointer with 0.1 seconds left in the 3rd to give Golden State a 1-point lead going into the 4th quarter. And this shot came after the Celtics finally woke up and decided to play basketball. If that shot didn’t go in, this could have ended in a Celtics win.
That was how crucial Wiggins’ assist and Poole’s shot was. Golden State didn’t look back and ended up reclaiming their double-digit lead to win 104-94.
The finals go back to Boston, where the Celtics must win to keep any hope of a 18th title charge alive. And for Golden State, if Steph Curry overcomes his surprising shooting slump and the team plays this well again, Celtics are done. It’s all in Golden State’s hands now.
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