The Celtics credited their top-ranked defense and an ability to overcome opening-night jitters in their Game 1 comeback over the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
SAN FRANCISCO — As the fourth-quarter minutes expired and the Warriors kept missing shots, the Celtics came alive to rally for a Game 1 win in Chase Center’s NBA Finals debut.
Boston went on lockdown, specifically, with a smaller lineup that tried to force the Warriors’ shooters inside the 3-point arc. The Celtics switched up their man-to-man defense, and that foiled the Warriors, whose offensive rebounding keyed a 38-24 third-quarter swing. Offensively, the Celtics overcame Jayson Tatum’s 3-of-17 shooting night and picked up the slack elsewhere, led by Al Horford , Jaylen Brown , Derrick White and defensive master Marcus Smart .
“When you’re making shots, that’s a boost. And when you’re missing shots, it’s a Debbie Downer,” said Draymond Green, who went 2-of-12 from the floor and 0-for-4 on 3-pointers. “They made them, we missed them.”All Celtics were making their career debuts on the NBA Finals’ stage.
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