Finals Game Two: Warriors Even the Score

The Golden State Warriors entered Game Two of the NBA Finals with their backs to the wall; a position that they had not been familiar with in the past Finals they had been in. In each of the Warriors' last five appearances in the Finals, the Warriors were strong at the start, even in their defeats in 2016 (against the Cleveland Cavaliers) and 2019 (against the Toronto Raptors). This year, however, was different. The Warriors lost Game One on their home court, doing so after entering the 4th quarter with a 12 point lead. Because of that, the Warriors are in a must-win situation, as they could ill afford entering Boston down 2-0.

At the start, it was back and forth, with the Celtics actually leading through most of the first quarter, though the first frame ended with Golden State up by one. The Warriors continued going toe-to-toe with the Celtics in the 2nd quarter, though despite the fact that Golden State (again) only outscored Boston by one in that quarter, it seemed like they were getting their groove back in this game. The Warriors led, 52-50 at halftime, and in the second half, they poured it on. A monstrous 3rd quarter saw them outscore Boston 35-14, and this time, Golden State's big lead didn't fizzle out. The team held on, they shut down the Celtics, and walked out with a 107-88 victory in Game Two of the Finals.

Stephen Curry (with his father, NBA legend Dell Curry, in attendance as usual) led the way for the Warriors with 29 points, and shot 42% (5/12) from behind the arc. His fellow "Splash Brother," Klay Thompson, underperformed again, only racking up 11 points, the same total as Andrew Wiggins, and one point less than Kevon Looney. Jordan Poole scored 17 off the bench, and was 5-for-9 from behind the three-point line. The Celtics, however, only had three players in double figures: Jayson Tatum (28 points), Jaylen Brown (17 points), and Derrick White (12 points off the bench). Al Horford, who dominated the 4th quarter of Game One, only scored two points.

In Game One, the Celtics achieved the ultimate goal: stealing one on the road. In Game Two, the Warriors achieved a goal of their own: salvaging a split on their court. The Warriors learned from their 4th quarter collapse in Game One and managed to keep their foot on the proverbial gas pedal in this go-around. The second half (mainly the 3rd quarter) ended up being the key in Golden State's Game Two victory, but as for Boston, it was a lack of depth that did them in. A stat that was shown after the 1st quarter ended stated that a vast majority of the points they scored were either made by or assisted by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. It's the NBA equivalent of how another Boston team, the Bruins, seem to rely solely on The Perfection Line. That lack of depth kept the Celtics from really making things difficult for the Warriors, but again, they did take one of the first two games, so it's not a total loss.

Game Three is Wednesday in Boston. These two games are pivotal for the teams involved. The Celtics now have the home court, and they have a chance to return to the Bay Area with a possible chance to clinch their 18th championship in franchise history. As for the Warriors, while a split can be helpful to their quest, taking both games on the road would be huge, as they could win it all at home if they accomplish the latter.

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