SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry’s 3-pointer highlights, Robert Williams ‘blocked shots and, now, Andrew Wiggins’ sting, will continue to be key moments in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka is trying to tell everyone that they are missing the point.
The Golden State Warriors clinched another title after a 104-94 game 5 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night. But the Warriors are not going 3-2 as they are winning the expected battle of the series – Boston’s tireless and skillfully built No. 1 defense against the historic shooting wizard and his brothers’ weapon – but doing just the opposite.
These finals are being won at the other end of the court, the Warriors ‘defense is holding Celtics’ breath and rejecting Boston’s game plan.
And fans out of the chess center on Monday night also made it clear that after seeing Curry on 0-for-93-pointers, for the first time in four years, he has not tripled in 233 games.
“I know how well I shoot my ball, people pay close attention to how I shoot my shots,” Curry said. “Even though people are talking about the game, I can’t control the story. When you watch the game, it’s not just about it. … I think we are. [the] Rescue for 2 reasons. “
Celtics first-year coach Udoka made some changes to his defensive game plan against Curry, meaning his big men crowded him on screen and switched more to prevent the shooting curry from appearing in the series.
But he spent more time worrying about Boston’s offense before Game 5. And when he and his team make a five-hour flight to the East Coast on Tuesday, he will work deeper into those issues as he prepares for Game 6.
“Again,” Udoka said, repeating himself from last week when he was overwhelmed by questions about the closet. “I don’t know if we were defended as much as the offensive struggles that hurt us tonight.”
When Curry scored 43 points in Game 4 … the Warriors had 107 points as a team. The Wiggins made an excellent 26-point effort on Monday, which could be classified as the best game of his professional career, and the Warriors scored … 104 runs.
In Game 2, his second win, he scored 107 runs. He averaged 105 points per game in the series, 10 less than he did in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Mavericks. Golden State is shooting 45% in the series, which is good, but 7% less than the previous round.
The Celtics are not stopping at the Warriors, but they are managing in that direction.
When the Celtics lost Game 2, they scored … 88 points. In games 4 and 5, he did not score 100 runs.
Defensively powerful Celtics are on the verge of spending a title on themselves साठी for the offense.
The Warriors have dedicated themselves to playing rough – and not just because Drummond Green has made some minor push between dead balls in the first few games. They are refusing to give Celtics primary ball handlers Jason Tatum and Jillian Brown more space.
The Boston crowd is disappointing. Turnover, meanwhile, continues to draw.
In Game 5, Boston was 18. In a ubiquitous state, the Celtics are now 1-7 when they reach the post season with 16 times or more and 13-2 less.
Every Boston player knows this; Udoka has highlighted this on scouting reports. Yet they cannot stop themselves.
“It’s hard for us to beat when we don’t spin the ball,” said Tatum, who is in the final stages of the playoff turnover record, adding a total of four to 95 in 23 games on Monday. “Obviously, it’s easier for us to beat when we do.”
When the Celtics are indifferent to a crime, they regularly look to the authorities for answers. Despite the accuracy of the call, this is not a trend that usually helps them. On Monday, he committed two technical fouls, one of Udoka, who usually tries to return to the defense after his players stop crying and not getting the favorite whistle.
Udoka was almost out in the fourth quarter when he pointed the finger at angry referee Tony Brothers and the Brothers confronted him instead of tossing him.
“Maybe there’s something you can’t do,” Udoka said of the complaint. “And we all did a lot.”
The Warriors were regularly in the top five in defensive performance between 2015 and 2017 when they won their first two titles with the Corps. But despite reaching the finals in 2018 and 2019, they dropped out of the top 10 in three of the last four seasons. Over the past year he has rededicated himself, with current defensive coordinator and new Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown leading the way. Try.
Defensive push includes improvements to Wiggins, who has proven to be a powerful stopper since trading in the Golden State, and Curry, who has moved from a defensive weak position to a player who can hold more than his own catch. This is a common topic of discussion this season, but never more valuable than the last two weeks.
The Celtics seem to have more difficulty in curry matchup when they have the ball, not when the Warriors guard is on the defensive.
“They were trying to attack [Curry] Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The key to our game is defense.”
Fatigue can also play a role. After playing seven games in the last two rounds, the Celtic team will have to do all this again for the title. Under the circumstances, Tatum is shooting 56% in the first quarter during the final, but only 24% in the fourth, with -10 out of 2 of these last two defeats.
But the problems in Boston go even deeper. The Celtics have often struggled to operate aggressively under pressure throughout the season. This is an error that is frustrating for a team so close to its final goal. It is close to being dangerous.
“We’ll regroup and bounce back,” Tatum said, referring to the tone the Celtics encountered in the Elimination Games throughout the score. “I’m sure of it.”