After a red-hot start by Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors looked like they were close to cruising to a 1-0 lead in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Behind a barrage of early triples from Curry, the Warriors held a 12-point advantage heading into the final frame of Game 1. While a victory was only 12 minutes away, the Warriors went quiet as the Celtics turned the tide of the game.
With Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford firing, the Celtics stormed to a comeback with a fierce fourth-quarter performance. Boston outscored Golden State 40-16 in the fourth quarter to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 120-108.
Despite their collapse in Game 1, Warriors guard Klay Thompson isn’t overreacting to the letdown loss.
Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:
Well, you know, it’s first to four, not first to one, and we all have been through situations like this. And we realize that it will take — it’s going to be very hard. Best part about it is we have another opportunity Sunday.
Thompson registered 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers, three assists and two rebounds in Thursday’s Game 1 loss.
Green similarly shared his teammate’s thoughts on trailing 1-0 in the Finals. Golden State’s defensive captain said the Game 1 loss hasn’t hit the Warriors’ confidence and they will embrace the defeat.
No, it’s fine. You get a chance to do something else, do it in a different way, embrace the challenge. We’ve always embraced challenges. It’s no different. We’ll embrace this one. So no, it’s not a hit to the confidence at all, not one bit.
During Game 1, Green tallied four points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field with 11 boards, five assists and two steals in 38 minutes against the Celtics on Thursday.
Thompson, Green and the Warriors will have the chance to respond on the court on Sunday in the Bay Area. With the Celtics holding a 1-0 lead, Game 2 is set for 5 p.m. PT on Sunday at San Francisco’s Chase Center.