Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Pass 2 Significant Tests, Steamroll Warriors on Jayson Tatum's 26th Birthday
The Celtics, playing with tremendous focus and considerable energy at both ends of the court, silenced the Warriors' offense, and maintained an up-tempo operation that consistently created quality shots.
Jaylen Brown, who erupted for 19 points in the first quarter, finished with 29 in 22 minutes. He also did an outstanding job when guarding Curry, living in his jersey.
His star running mate, Jayson Tatum, registered 20 in the second quarter and 27 for the game. He also dished out five assists in his 25 minutes of floor time on his 26th birthday.
The fact that Boston bludgeoned Golden State despite Kristaps Porzingis' absence due to a left quad contusion makes Sunday's victory even more impressive.
As this game demonstrated, the keys to creating quality offense and the importance of playing complementary basketball, with what happens at both ends of the court connected, remain the same with or without their seven-foot-three center in the lineup.
Still, not having him available is typically a challenge to circumnavigate. Now for a deep dive into why it wasn't on Sunday and what stood as the hosts extended the league's longest winning streak in the current campaign to 11 and set an NBA record with their third win of at least 50 points this season.
Jaylen Brown was a man on a mission in the first frame of Sunday's 2022 NBA Finals rematch between the Celtics and Warriors.
The three-time All-Star generated 19 points on 6/12 shooting, including faring 5/9 from beyond the arc. He also did well when taking on the challenge of defending Stephen Curry.
The hosts' stringing together stops allowed them to play with pace, maintaining an up-tempo operation that led to consistently creating quality shots.
Playing on a string defensively, walling off drives, and consistently contesting shots translated to Golden State shooting 33.3 percent from the field, including 3/11 from three-point range in the first 12 minutes.
Between the visitors struggling to score and committing three turnovers, Boston built a 16-2 advantage in fast-break scoring and went on a 20-1 run to end the first quarter. They took a 44-22 lead into the second frame.
The Celtics shot 10/16 from behind the arc in the opening period. It's the fourth time in franchise history they've recorded double-digit threes in a quarter.
In a stretch that lasted nearly 13 minutes, stretching into the second frame, the hosts held the Warriors to 8 points.
From Brown living in Curry's jersey and preventing him from finding daylight off the dribble or when away from the ball to the rest of his teammates staying in front of drives, including Xavier Tillman when matched up with the visitors' perimeter players, Golden State rarely tapped into an advantage or found their way into the paint.
Beyond that, Boston was flying around on defense, with help defenders swooping in to swipe at the ball and players sprinting to contest shots. The Celtics also held the Warriors to two offensive rebounds and four second-chance points in the first half.
With Curry and Co. shooting below 35 percent in the first 24 minutes, including 3/18 from three-point range, rarely extending possessions, and coughing the ball up eight times, the gap grew to 82-38 at intermission.
That's Boston's largest halftime lead in franchise history.
While no one on Golden State reached double-figures, Brown led all scorers with 25 points at the break. Jayson Tatum, who erupted for 20 points on 6/7 shooting in the second quarter, had 22.
With the score lopsided and Curry questionable coming into this contest due to right knee bursitis, Steve Kerr started Chris Paul in his place in the second half. The two-time league MVP, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, weren't even on the visitors' bench when the third frame got underway.
Despite their absence, to the Celtics' credit, their focus and approach didn't take a hit. A Tatum drive that led to kicking the ball out to Jrue Holiday at the far-side wing and him quickly swinging it to Derrick White, who swished a corner three, exemplified that.
There was also an emphatic flush from Jaylen Brown.
Al Horford registered his 14,000th career point. According to Celtics Stats, he became the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 14,000 points, 8,400 rebounds, 3,400 assists, and 1,200 blocks in a career, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki.
The hosts' two-way dominance earned their starters an early night, as the extended rotation played most of the second half in Sunday's blowout victory, improving Boston's NBA-leading record to 48-12.
The Celtics are now on to a Tuesday night tilt against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That game will tip off at 7:30 EST.
Further Reading
'The Best Team in the NBA': Luka Doncic Struck by Celtics' Balance
Tired of Celtics' Playoff Inconsistency, Wyc Grousbeck Decided 'We're Not Running It Back'
Jaylen Brown's Evolution Crucial to Celtics' Desire to Win with More Than Talent
Celtics Embracing Challenge to Go Beyond Most Talented
Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Sacrificing in Celtics' Title Pursuit: 'It's a Process'
Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics' Plan for Final Roster Spot
Marcus Smart Shares How Boston Shaped Him, His Message to Celtics Fans
Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'
Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'
Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'
