After Curry illuminated the Celtics for 43 in the 4th game with minimal help in scoring from his second cast, it seemed that the plan had been set. But in Game 5, the Celtics came out trying to get Carrie out of the game by keeping his face away from the ball, not unlike the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. And it worked. Curry finished with 16 points in a row in 7 of 22 shots and failed to score a three-pointer – it was 0-9 from deep – in a game for the first time since November 8, 2008. Surprisingly, it did not matter what turned out to be an impressive 104-94 victory over Golden State to bring it 3-2 in a row with Game 6 being in Boston on Thursday. The Warriors’ defense was spectacular as they kept Boston at 41.4% of the shots and forced 18 caps for 22 points. And Curry got the help he needed offensively as Klay Thompson came in with 21 points and Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II together for 29 off the bench. Oh, and Andrew Wiggins had a career night, as we’ll cover in takeaways: Andrew Wiggins, starring in his role That was not the way it should have happened. Wiggins was supposed to have taken Minnesota to new heights as the first overall pick in the 2014 draft. He won distinctions as a rookie of the year and in his third season he averaged 23.6 points per game as a 21-year-old. But that never worked and the Wiggins found themselves with the Warriors as the Timberwolves had to give up what turned out to be the seventh choice in the 2021 draft in a deal that brought them D’Angelo Russell. Minnesota wanted to get rid of him. He was a failed leader, and therefore expendable. But the Warriors limited Wiggins’s job description: Prioritize the defense while either scoring for three-pointers or making sharp cuts in Curry space. In the Finals, Wiggins has been in charge of rebounds and has gone up as never before – his 16 rebounds in Game 4 were the highlight of his career. Wiggins has always had an extra piece of equipment, a skill for the moment – the big games with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers swapping him on draft night are an example. The problem has always been that the moments that shift it to overexertion do not come often enough. But Wiggins is preparing for a Final full of them now, and a playoff match full of them as well. The Wiggins followed a stellar 17- and 16-game lead to a 4-game winning streak with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Game 5 – the first time he had a double-double in his career – to replace the Warriors. driver one night when they desperately needed an insulting spark from someone other than Carrie. In the first half, Wiggins was the Warriors ‘best player, taking advantage of the Celtics’ extra attention to Curry, as they essentially played one box and one and challenged the other Warriors to create enough attack by removing him. the play. Wiggins went up. He scored 16 points in the first half to lead all scorers and his seven rebounds led the Warriors. But the games are long gone and the Wiggins’ chance of really having a clear game seemed to skyrocket as he could not turn an almost endless supply of open eyes from the depths at his disposal. He finished 0-from-6 from deep, but Wiggins did not finish. There was a hard drive for a layup to start the fourth quarter and a great cut and left finish in the middle of the period. And with the clock ticking, there was a running hook across the lane and then a jump over Celtics’ Robert Williams. The final touch was a full-speed dunk with 2:10 remaining that lifted the Warriors by 15 and closed the door on any hope of a return. “I just attacked on the edge. I started early and it was in my mindset to stay aggressive and just start attacking,” Wiggins said after the game. He was asked in the post-match interview what message he was trying to send with his belated dunk. “We are here. We are here and we are hungry. The team that wants it the most will get it and we want it … I just try to do every little thing to win, that’s. Score, rebound, defend, whatever I’m asked to do for to help us win, I will do it. ” It was 5-6 in the fourth quarter and lifted the Warriors to victory. If Golden State closes it in game 6 or 7, the Wiggins ring will win well. The Celtics drought continues In the first four games of the series, the much-publicized Celtics defense had endured just fine. They kept the Warriors at 105 points in a True Shooting rate of 56.5. In the regular season the Warriors averaged 111 points per game and in the Western Conference finals scored 115.2 points on 62.0 TS. Even in Game 5, the Warriors scored just 104 points and the Celtics successfully bottled Curry. The problem was the Boston infringement. In Game 4, when the Celtics had to match a hot Curry, they scored just six points in the final 7:32 of the match, winning 2-12. It was no different in Game 5, as Boston made just 4 of 15 with the game in balance and turned the ball four times. “There are a lot of things we wish we had done differently, especially at the attacking end,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after Game 4. It was the Achilles heel of the Celtics. Equally dominant in a regular season with Boston, the Celtics finished 26th on a clean sheet (minus-9.5) in the regular season and in 12 playoff games in which the game was within five points in the last five minutes, they were even worse. , with a net score of minus-14.2. Early Monday, the Celtics’ attack continued from where they had stopped as they scored just 16 points in the first quarter and set a final record by losing their first 12 three-pointers. And although they showed some life in the second half, they were still trying to explain to themselves why they had missed nine upsets in the first half that led to 13 Warriors points. Boston was impressive in the third, as it overturned the tables in the Warriors’ favorite quarter, but then shot just 1-to-9 to start the fourth as the ball stuck and the Celtics resorted to either three-pointers with quick shots or shots on target. crowds. . Finding a rhythm under pressure offensively should be the Celtics’ goal from now until game 6. Tatum responds to his speech… almost “I had to get better,” Tatum said after another rudimentary appearance in Game 4. In four games in the finals, Tatum shot just 34.3 percent off the court, including a brutal 14-of-51 (27, 5 percent). ) from inside the arc. The Warriors used the Wiggins as their main defender, but did not hesitate to sell out to help the Celtics star, especially in his drives. They have succeeded in overthrowing him when he leads on the left and have generally benefited from his struggles playing in the crowd. Tatum was much better in Game 5. Although the Celtics’ attack fell early, Tatum found a way to hit three buckets. In the second quarter, as Boston began repairing the ship, Tatum added three more points, and in the third as the Celtics fought for their lives – 12 behind and considering the possibility of the Warriors’ traditional avalanche in the third quarter – Tatum. led the Celtics ‘return with three quick three-pointers as Boston reduced the Warriors’ lead to one to start the fourth quarter. Tatum had 22 points in 9 of 15 shots at that point, but in the end he will have to do more soul searching. There were two missed free throws as the Warriors threatened to move away from the stretch. An air ball in a roll over Wiggins and another short arm jump over Draymond Green. He was 1 in 5 from the floor in the fourth, something that – along with his four upsets – exceeds his otherwise impressive line with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The malfunctions of Draymond Green The great Warriors man who does everything is a profound role player. He is not on the floor to score or order the attack. He is a defensive magician who passes like a point guard in the attack and has made art to release Carrie and Clay Thompson with his screens and dribbles. The rating is not in the job description. But come on. Green was so bad offensively – he entered Game 5 shooting 6-of-26 from the floor, an anemic 23%, with most of his misses being in the wrong range. He had to do another three. Even his mother tweeted about it. “I DON’T KNOW! Maybe it’s a CLON” he wrote, before being deleted. Being so aggressive he aggressively threatened to set aside any other Green contribution. With Warriors coach Steve Kerr having to limit Green’s playing time, his game was distracting. Fortunately, in Game 5, Green decided to appear. Maybe all he needed was for his mom to call him. In the first quarter alone, Green had two lay-ups – one fake dunk handoff – and two assists. At halftime, Green had added another wreath when he led the lane in a rare one-on-one shot, pulled and buried a floater. He reached the line and made both his free throws. It was even more important because Kevon Looney – who many thought should have eaten more than Green’s minutes – had received three quick fouls. Green’s defensive energy also increased as he helped the Warriors keep the Celtics at 39 points with 39 percent shots in the first half. There were still …
