Warriors Called out by Fans for Epic 4th-Quarter Collapse in Game 1 vs. Celtics
June 3, 2022
The Golden State Warriors were at home.
The Golden State Warriors got 21 points and six made three-pointers from Stephen Curry in the first quarter alone.
The Golden State Warriors held Jayson Tatum to an ugly 3-of-17 shooting from the field.
The Golden State Warriors lost.
Somehow, someway, the Boston Celtics stunned the Warriors with a 120-108 comeback victory in Thursday's Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals. Golden State looked well on its way to moving within three victories of its fourth title in eight years when it built a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the visitors won the fourth quarter 40-16.
It was a stunning collapse, and social media quickly turned on the Game 1 losers:
Boston deserves plenty of credit for weathering the early Curry storm, adjusting and staying within striking distance during the first three quarters even while its go-to option couldn't buy a basket.
Jaylen Brown seemed to sense Tatum didn't have his shot Thursday and shifted into takeover mode for extended stretches on his way to 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Yet it was the supporting cast of Al Horford, Derrick White and even Payton Pritchard that caught fire from deep and suddenly built an insurmountable lead.
Horford (26 points and six made three-pointers) and White (21 points and five made three-pointers) in particular were excellent when the game was hanging in the balance, and the Warriors had no answers for an entire quarter.
As a result, Boston has a chance to seize complete control of the series with Game 2 on the road Sunday.