The Boston Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors, 116-100, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
- The Celtics won with solid fundamental basketball. Defense and rebounding ruled the day and the Celtics gutted it out with an outstanding display of what a great defense is capable of on the biggest stage.
As I noted, this series could end up being a major data point in the age-old argument of great offense vs. great defense. When the Celtics lost Game 2 it was largely due to their defense not being at the level it had been throughout the rest of their playoff run. But it seems that they are back to their winning ways after Game 3.
- The Warriors went on one of their signature third-quarter runs to take the lead in a game they had trailed since the opening minute. But during that third-quarter run, the Celtics were playing way too far back.
I feel like even the casual NBA fan will tell you that the Warriors are a great shooting team with two of the greatest shooters and a lot of other lethal role players. So, you can’t defend them underneath the 3-point line. If you give Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson a fraction of an inch, they’ll use it to get a shot off.
Fortunately for the Celtics, they regrouped for a stellar fourth quarter, but that mistake could have cost them the game had they not been careful.
- I know that I’m not the first one to make this argument or bring up the disparity between how the officials treat Draymond Green and how the rest of the league is treated, but it really is wild.
Green can clap in an official’s face, run at him, complain loudly or yell at an official long after he’s fouled out of a game and not get a technical foul assessed to him. Meanwhile (as many Jazz fans will remember) Rudy Gobert will get issued a technical foul for pointing at an official and not saying a single word.
I get that there are some people who get a little more latitude than others, but it just feels like the playing field needs to be bit more level.
- The parity in the NBA over the last few years has been really nice. The only team to make a repeat Finals appearance in the last five years has been the Warriors. We’ve also seen the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and now the Celtics.
It’s just nice to have new teams and stories to look forward to every season.