Celtics show poise, survive gutsy Warriors run to take 2-1 NBA Finals lead

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Boston Celtics showed tremendous poise under pressure and negated the Golden State Warriors of an emphatic comeback, 116-100, to grab a 2-1 2022 NBA Finals series lead.

Fans became uneasy in the noisy TD Garden after Golden State cut the Celtics’ 18-point lead during the third quarter led by Stephen Curry’s waxing-hot performance once again.

Tension then started to rise in the Boston bench after Golden State grabbed the lead back, 83-82, after Otto Porter Jr.’s contested three-point make.

It was the Warriors’ first taste of the lead since starting the game 2-0 and was looking for another come-from-behind win in front of a hostile crowd in Boston.

However, the Celtics showed maturity and responded well against the veteran Warriors team and regrouped at the perfect time to avoid a meltdown.

After the Porter Jr. trey, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart answered back with his own shot from downtown and boosted his team’s morale and woke them up heading into the final canto.

The Celtics then saved the best for last and had their greatest defensive quarter of the series after limiting Golden State to just 11 points in the fourth.

It was the little things that helped Boston edge the Warriors as their patient defensive rotations, gang rebounding, and rim protection created more opportunities for them.

Jaylen Brown once again became Boston’s sparkplug after only missing one shot attempt from the three-point land in the first quarter and almost outscored the whole Warriors team with his 17 points.

Klay Thompson, who struggled and shot the ball miserably in the first two games, finally found his stroke and ignited the Warriors offense at the start of the second quarter, scoring 12 straight points to keep his team afloat.

On the other hand, the Celtics matched Thompson’s offensive efficiency with their collective scoring effort backstopped by their tremendous team defense to help them notch a 12-point lead, 56-68, heading into the half.

It was another classic strong Golden State third quarter led by Curry and their waxing-hot shooting but Boston retaliated and never gave up the lead again in the fourth.

After a sub-par Game 2 performance, Boston’s support crew of Al Horford, Grant Williams, Brown, and Smart stepped up to the challenge and all scored in double figures, 11, 10, 27, and 24, respectively.

Jayson Tatum had another stellar outing and contributed 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds who came up big at the start of the fourth quarter and drained most of his shots to extend the Boston lead back to double digits.

Meanwhile, Curry still carried his offensive prowess and finished the game with 31 points on 6/11 shooting but was held below 10 points in the last 12 minutes of the game.