Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors
The NBA Finals are tied once again at 2-2 as the Golden State Warriors – on the back of an all-time great performance by Stephen Curry – beat the Boston Celtics on the road in Game 4.
Boston missed a great opportunity to take charge of the Finals by holding home-court advantage. But the Celtics have been in this situation before and are unbeaten in these playoffs after coming off a loss.
Can Boston bounce back from another tough setback to regain control of the series as it shifts back to San Francisco for Game 5?
Talking Points
Stephen Curry continues to shine in the Finals
Stephen Curry has been sensational in the Finals, but he took his greatness to another level with his otherworldly performance in Game 4.
Curry showed no signs of the foot injury he suffered late in Game 3 as he scored 43 big points (14-26 FG, 7-14 3-PT FG) and created several NBA 2022 highlights to lead Golden State to a 107-97 win. And he got just enough help down the stretch from Andrew Wiggins (17 points, 16 rebounds) and Klay Thompson (18 points) as the Warriors outscored the Celtics 28-19 in the decisive fourth quarter.
Curry is now averaging 34 points while shooting a sizzling 49 per cent on 3-pointers through the first four games of the NBA Finals. Despite the Celtics doing a better job on him defensively, he is still able to knock down some difficult shots.
With the Celtics still unable to stop Curry, the Warriors will like their chances of grabbing Game 5 at home.
Kerr making crucial decisions
Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a big move to change his starting lineup for Game 4 as he put Otto Porter Jr in place of centre Kevon Looney to try and spice up their offence. The move didn’t necessarily work as Porter Jr finished with just two points in 15 minutes.
However, Kerr’s big decision later in the game – to bench veteran star Draymond Green during their key fourth-quarter run – worked out brilliantly.
With Green continuing to struggle offensively, Kerr stuck with Kevon Looney as the only big man with Wiggins playing power forward, and the lineup proved effective as the Celtics were unable to cope.
Green played much better and made some impactful plays when he returned. But Kerr has shown he will not hesitate to take Green out, and he now has an alternative lineup that has proven it can get the job done even without one of their biggest stars.
Celtics continue to come up short in the clutch
The Celtics’ inability to come through in close games has been an ongoing problem in these playoffs, and it reared its ugly head once again in the fourth quarter of Game 4. They were unable to hold onto a four-point lead with five minutes to go as they failed to create enough offence during crunch time.
The Celtics as a whole failed to knock down some crucial shots, particularly key 3-pointers that could have kept the Warriors at bay.
However, much of the blame will inevitably fall on All-Star Jayson Tatum, who had another subpar game as he finished with just 23 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including just 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter, with six turnovers. Tatum is now averaging just 22 points on 33 per cent shooting from the field.
The Celtics desperately need Tatum to turn his form around in the coming games, especially if Curry continues to perform at such a high level.
History
The Celtics haw shown they are capable of bouncing back from defeat in these playoffs. In fact, they are so good that they have yet to lose back-to-back games all postseason and are a perfect 7-0 after a loss.
Moreover, four of those wins have come on the road – twice in Milwaukee and twice in Miami – so they will not be intimidated to go back to Golden State for Game 5.
As for the Warriors, they will look to hold home-court advantage, which has served them well in the playoffs. They are 10-1 at Chase Centre this postseason, with their only loss coming in Game 1 against Boston.
What are the odds?
With the Warriors winning Game 4 and reclaiming home-court advantage, the SBOTOP NBA 2022 odds for the series have shifted in their favour. They are now 1.62 favourites to win the championship, with the Celtics priced at 2.35.
In terms of Game 5, the Warriors are similarly priced at 1.58 to win and go up 3-2, while the Celtics are 2.47 underdogs. Meanwhile, the Warriors are between 3.00 and 4.50 favourites on the Asian Handicap market.
As the Celtics have shown time and again in these playoffs, they are more than capable of picking themselves back up even after dispiriting losses, especially on the road. Expect them to do the same in San Francisco in this crucial Game 5.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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