The Golden State Warriors (3-2) visited the Boston Celtics (2-3) in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Golden State wanted to clinch the championship. Boston wanted to extend the series to a decisive Game 7. Stephen Curry put forth another sensational night to lead the Warriors to their 4th title in eight seasons and cap off his first Finals MVP.
Curry led the Warriors with 34 points on 12-for-21 shooting (6-for-11 on 3s), secured 7 rebounds, and dished 7 assists. Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points on 7-for-18 shooting (4-for-9 on 3s) to go along with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points on 12-for-23 shooting (5-for-11 on 3s), along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Al Horford scored 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting (4-for-5 on 3s) and secured 14 rebounds.
Here are 3 observations from the Warriors’ victory.
A big turnaround
Boston opened with fire, scoring 12 of the first 14 points in Game 6. But, Golden State tightened up a bit defensively and that sent Boston into a downwards spiral.
The Celtics rapidly lost all offensive rhythm, manifesting in copious live-ball turnovers and overreactions to no-calls. With Jayson Tatum spear-heading the war on referees rather than getting back on defense, the Warriors pounced on the advantages they had in transition.
What started out as a 10-point deficit quickly turned into a big lead as part of a 21-0 Golden State run. The first half saw a 31-point turnaround with the Warriors pushing their lead as high as 21 points.
Draymond delivers
The story was already written in many ways. If the Warriors lost in these Finals, Draymond Green would be painted as the weak link, more concerned about talking trash and podcasting than he was about being Golden State’s cohesive residue on the court. If the Warriors won, it would be in spite of Green, whose offensive game had regressed to the point of his being a net liability.
But when it came to the smell of blood, Green couldn’t help but lick his chops.
His energy and purpose on both ends carried the Warriors out of the early hole and into the driver’s seat. Green was only credited with 2 steals, but he was everywhere on defense. He had his hands involved in everything, slapping down on the rock to force loose balls as the Celtics drove to the rim, intercepting errant passes to ignite transition play, and junking up Boston possessions by forcing the Celtic in front of…
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