Warriors Show Championship DNA and Grab The Must-Win Game Five Victory
If you had told any Warriors fan that the Warriors would beat the Celtics in Game Five of the NBA Finals with their superstar Stephen Curry going 0-for-nine from 3-point range and only scoring 16 points — they probably would’ve asked what drugs you were taking.
But — the Warriors demonstrated why their playoff mantra is Strength in Numbers — as the Warriors rallied and won Game Five as a collective unit. Throughout the NBA Finals — analysts noted how the Curry needs more help. Someone else needs to step up when the stakes are at their highest.
Enter Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins. “Two-Way Wiggs” produced the best game of his career, scoring 26 points on an efficient 12-for-23 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds. He also lived up to his nickname and locked down Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter — forcing critical stops to aid in the effort.
Additionally — Warriors guard Klay Thompson added 21 points to the effort on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range. The cavalry of Warriors guard Gary Payton II, guard Jordan Poole and Warriors forward Draymond Green added the necessary offense and the Warriors grabbed the most important game of the season.
“[Wiggins has] done a great job of figuring out what we needed,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said. “You gotta rebound in his position, you gotta attack the rim, gotta guard the best guy on the other team, and there’s a reason why he’s a No. 1 pick.”
Contrary to most of the starts — the Warriors jumped out to an early 14-4 lead after Thompson nailed a mid-range jumper. The Warriors flipped the script and attacked the Celtics from the jump.
After Curry’s performance in Game Four — the Celtics adjusted their defensive plan and did not leave Curry’s airspace throughout the first quarter. When Curry was off-ball — the Celtics guards could care less about the rest of the action. This forced the Warriors to change their offensive attack — but Curry would get loose for a tear-drop to increase the early lead to 24-8. Thought the Warriors would lead 27-16 after the first quarter — the Warriors shot two-for-eight from 3-point range — foreshadowing their cold spell later in the game.
“We’ve been here before in 2016,” Thompson said. “We haven’t done anything yet, and the mission is still the same.”
The Warriors continued to keep the Celtics at bay throughout the second quarter. Green made his presence felt early as his steal led to a fast break.
Throughout the NBA Finals — analysts have criticized Green for his play and noted that Green’s usual production has not been up to par. The Celtics seemed to have figured out a way to expose Green due to his lack of scoring — but Green finished the game with his usual statline of eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors led by as much as fifteen points heading into the third quarter — but the Celtics came out of the gates firing. After missing 12 straight 3-pointers, the Celtics would nail five in a row — eerily similar to their Game One shooting performances.
The Celtics dominant start was a stark contrast to the Warriors usual brilliance in the third quarter — as the Warriors threw the ball away three times and Tatum started aggressively hunting Curry on offense.
With the Warriors on a cold spell — the Warriors relied on their defense to force the Celtics into turnovers in order to gain better opportunities in the open court.
The Celtics as a team struggled to take care of the ball — as they coughed up the ball 18 times. The magical number for the Celtics is 16 with turnovers. When they have more than 16 turnovers — they are 1-6. When they take care of the ball — they are 13-2.
With Curry having a quiet night — Poole got in the action when he found some space and cashed in an open 3-pointer late in the third quarter. Then — as the shot clock was winding down — Poole splashed home a half-court bomb similarly to his shot in Game Two.
“That’s good for us,” Green said of Curry’s struggles in Game Five. “He was 0-for-nine from 3, he’s going to be livid, and that’s exactly what we need.”
Heading into the final frame — the Warriors went on a 7-0 run. Poole caught on fire — as he scored 14 points in just 13 minutes and had a stretch of scoring 10 points in a row. Off the signature split-action — Wiggins converted on a layup to increase the Warriors lead to 87-78 after two Celtics players went to Curry.
“A lot of people looked at that trade like, ‘oh, it’s another piece that we can move,’” Green said. “We looked at the trade from the beginning like, ‘that is a guy who can fit next to a healthy group absolutely well.’”
The Celtics struggled to score in the fourth — as they went 3-for-13 from the field. Wiggins lived up to his nickname of “Two-Way Wiggs” and made life miserable for Tatum late in the game. As the fourth quarter was winding down — Wiggins blew by Celtics guard Marcus Smart and rose up for a monster jam. And with Chase Center on its feet — Thompson nailed a corner 3-pointer to secure the Warriors win for good.
“I’m just excited to build on it,” Thompson said. “I’ve never been so excited to go to Boston.”
With the Warriors now with a commanding 3-2 lead — the scene shifts back to Boston, Mass. for Game Six on June 16.
(Photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)