Game 4 of the National Basketball League (NBA) Finals took place in Boston last week Friday (June 10), with the Celtics holding a 2-1 series lead and looking to solidify homecourt advantage. The Celtics jumped out to a lead for the third-straight game and, with their backs against the ropes and the possibility of a 1-3 hole looming on the horizon, the Golden State Warriors had very little choice but to push with all the force they could muster.

For three quarters, the Celtics responded to every wave of the Warriors that came their way, but mistakes and missed opportunities prevented them repelling one final charge by Golden State in the fourth quarter, that led to a 107-97 loss. Celtics’ forward Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, but he didn’t shoot the ball well (8 of 23 from the field) and didn’t take care of it as he had six of Boston’s 16 turnovers, that led to 19 Golden State points.

The Celtics seemed to be in control of the game and appeared destined for a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, before the fourth-quarter faux pas. Behind 15 three-pointers, the Celtics took a 94-90 lead with just over five minutes left in the game, then missed their next six shots. The Warriors seized the opportunity, scoring 10 straight points and never trailed again, outscoring their opponents 28-19 over the final 12 minutes.

The Warriors entered Game 4 having outscored the Celtics in third quarters by a total of 43 points in their first three meetings, and five-straight baskets from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to start the second half, ensured a continuation of the trend. Curry scored 14 points in the third stanza (including four 3-pointers) to end the quarter with 33 points and help the Warriors take a 79-78 lead into the fourth.

As Boston’s turnovers continued to mount in the fourth quarter, they managed only six points over the final 7:32, as Curry added another 10 points to finish with 43 in a season-saving performance. The moment demanded excellence, and Curry delivered a top-tier performance with his team’s season hanging in the balance. The 34-year-old Curry recorded his second-best scoring performance in an NBA Finals — second only to the 47 points he put up in Game 3 of 2019 against the eventual champions Toronto Raptors — and joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players aged 34 or older with at least 40 points in a finals game.

The 17 points and 16 rebounds for Andrew Wiggins were significant in the downfall of the Celtics last Friday but heading into Game 5 on Monday (June 13), the Boston-faithful held on to the solace that they were 7-0 this postseason following a loss. Additionally, Boston has gone 13-1 in such games since the team began the turnaround of their season in late January of this year.

With the series tied 2-2 and heading back to the Bay Area, Boston needed to limit their turnovers and contain the output of Curry if they hoped to again wrestle homecourt advantage from Golden State. They entered Monday night with a 14-2 record in these playoffs when they commit 15 or fewer turnovers — including Games 1 and 3 of these Finals — but are a dismal 0-6 when 16 or more miscues are registered — including losses in Games 2 and 4.

Tatum, in particular, had amassed a jaw-dropping 91 turnovers over this postseason in 21 games — just three turnovers shy of tying LeBron’s record of 94 giveaways, registered during the 2018 play-offs — and Boston could ill-afford him going past this unsavory record. But alas, he committed four on the night to leapfrog into the lead of this not-so-pleasant category and, as a team, Boston committed 18 turnovers that led to 22 (critical) Warriors’ points.

While Curry had carried the Warriors thus far in the series, he had a woeful shooting night, but was provided with plenty of help as four other players scored in double-figures — led by Andrew Wiggins with 26 points (plus 13 rebounds) — resulting in a double-digit victory (104-94). Entering the game, Curry had hit a three-pointer in each of his 132 career play-off games and had connected on a three-pointer in 233 consecutive games, including both the regular season and the play-offs. That run came to an end on Monday night as Curry went zero for nine from the arc, breaking his streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer and ending his perfect streak of making one in each of his postseason games. Both of those streaks are NBA records.

The Warriors looked like the superior team for most of Game 5, but in the third quarter the Celtics began to look like the team that won Games 1 and 3 of this series — the offence was flowing, and the defence was mitigating Golden State’s efficiency. As a result, Boston used a 10-0 run to open the third quarter and grab their first lead with 6:27 left in the quarter. It appeared that the Celtics had overcome their third-quarter blues and were heading for a steal, leading by two-points with three seconds left in the third period. That is, until Jordan Poole appeared to suck the life out of the Celtics with a half-court shot to end the third and give the Warriors a one-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes — a lead they would not relinquish.

In the fourth quarter the Celtics turned the ball over four times, shot 26.7 per cent from the field, and 25 percent from three-point territory. They scored 20 points, after putting up 35 in the third, as they helplessly watched the Warriors add 29 points to their third quarter lead. The Celtics fell apart in the fourth quarter and, on an off-shooting night for Curry, missed out on a golden opportunity, while the Warriors pounced and circled the wagons to take a commanding 3-2 series lead. Just two seasons ago, the Warriors finished with the worst record in the Western Conference (15-50), and now the Larry O’Brien Trophy was again squarely in their sights.

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