The Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals, 120-108.
Al Horford, playing in his first NBA finals after a then record-setting 141 playoff appearances, led his team to victory with 26 points, including six three-pointers.
The Celtics won the game after going on a 40-16 run in the fourth quarter after being behind by 12 heading into the last 12 minutes of action.
Despite a difference of 123 finals appearances between the two sides, it was the Celtics that showed that they were the more clutch side in the fourth by leaving their hosts shell-shocked.
They also equalled a finals record by draining nine three-pointers in one quarter, previously set by their opponents in 2017.
Even though multiple all-star and franchise player Jayson Tatum had an off night with 15 points, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Al Horford were able to pick up the slack.
Stephen Curry tallied 34 points after starting the game “hotter than fish grease” with 21 in the first quarter.
But it was not enough on the day as the other main scorers, like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, combined for 24 points.
The loss was the Warriors’ first at home this postseason, while the Celtics demonstrated that they can win a game on the road after winning at least one in each series thus far.
Curry believes that the team will come back fighting in game two, which will take place in the wee hours of Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“We gotta stay locked in, stay focused, stay confident in who we are and what we can do, and the fact that this series has just started,” he says.
In a matchup that sees the best two defensive teams in the league meet for the first time in the finals, the Warriors will hope Gary Payton II will be available for game two after suffering from a broken elbow in the Memphis series.
This series could be decided on which players other than the superstars can grab their chance and ball out, which makes it even more intriguing for game two.
