The Anatomy of the Celtics' Fourth-Quarter Comeback in Game 1 of NBA Finals

The Celtics erased a 12-point deficit, outscoring the Warriors 40-13 in the final frame before both teams emptied their benches.

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Notorious for playing with energy and assertiveness that fuels their third-quarter runs, the Warriors did just that in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. They hung 38 points on the league's top-ranked defense while holding the Celtics to 24.

As a result, Golden State, a team yet to lose on its home floor in the playoffs, entered the final frame with a 12-point lead. Boston scored the last points of the third quarter, courtesy of a pair of Derrick White free throws, but a comeback required urgency, and there was little margin for error. Otherwise, the Celtics would spend the days leading into Game 2 kicking themselves for how they came out of the half.

Instead, they met the moment, landing a fourth-quarter haymaker, outscoring the Warriors 40-13 before the hosts added a three after both teams emptied their benches.

Jaylen Brown was at the center of that fourth-quarter takeover, getting them off to the fast start they needed, factoring into Boston's first seven points.

The play below, a three for Brown, also highlights the Celtics hunting Jordan Poole, who they'll target relentlessly throughout these Finals.

The next possession demonstrates a problem Golden State had throughout Thursday's loss and will continue to have difficulty with this series. The Warriors lack high-level perimeter defenders.

As it relates to the following clip, Otto Porter, who played well overall in Game 1, is at a point in his career where it's hard for him to keep up with Jaylen Brown. The result is Brown driving by him, getting into the paint, occupying Klay Thompson's attention, and while Draymond Green knows what's coming, he can't prevent this alley-oop to Robert Williams.

Shortly after that, White attacked Klay Thompson off the dribble, getting deep into the paint. When White pivots, Porter sees him staring towards the left slot, persuading him to break that way before realizing the ball's going to Brown. And with White leading Brown further towards the corner, Brown gets a clean, in-rhythm look at a three that barely grazes the net.

The Celtics' comeback wasn't, nor could it have been, strictly a product of what they were accomplishing offensively. At the other end, Boston went smaller and started switching more frequently. The Celtics' big men also raised their pick-up point, meeting Stephen Curry higher up the floor as he came off screens.

Here, Al Horford's waiting for Curry above the three-point line, a shade below the pick from Kevon Looney. Horford and Jayson Tatum surround Curry, White tags the roller, Looney, and Horford uses his length to stay connected to Curry and Looney. Perhaps the latter could've gotten to the other side of the rim with more urgency, but the pass could still prove difficult. Instead, Curry rises for a floater as Tatum comes across his face to contest the shot.

As for the impact of Boston getting back to its preferred method of defending the pick-and-roll, which is switching on screens, one benefit was getting the ball out of Curry's hands.

In the play below, the Celtics don't switch the off-ball screen, which is really just Green grabbing his defender, Tatum. But when Curry shakes free of White, Tatum has no choice but to jump out to contest his potential shot. That results in Curry swinging the ball to Andrew Wiggins, who's plenty capable of making this three, but the Celtics will live with this shot.

And while Boston's defense was limiting Curry to four points in the final frame, its offense continued driving into the paint, moving the ball around, and chipping away at the deficit.

Here, Brown gets out of the corner and into the paint, prompting Porter to help wall off his drive as his man, White, drifts beyond the arc. Brown's strong with the ball and throws it on a line to White, who drills a right-wing three to bring the Celtics within one.

White, who scored 21 points and was outstanding in this game, continued to play a critical role in Boston's comeback, cashing a three with Curry in his jersey, knotting the score at 103 with 5:40 remaining.

The next time down the floor, the Warriors are slow to match up in transition. Tatum swings the ball to White, who drives baseline off the catch, keeping Porter by the basket. It also forces Wiggins to zone two, accounting for Payton Pritchard and Horford.

The pass to Horford would've been more challenging, but Wiggins is splitting the difference between his two responsibilities, and he's too far in to break up the baseline pass. Pritchard then swings the ball to Horford, who's unbothered by Thompson coming over and getting his hand up, swishing a three to put the Celtics ahead 106-103.

Another instrumental aspect of Boston's comeback win was Golden State living up to its reputation for not taking care of the ball. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors committed four turnovers, two of the live-ball variety, leading to ten points for the Celtics.

And while overall, the hosts were more effective crashing the offensive glass, producing 26 second-chance points compared to 15 by Boston, none of those came in the fourth quarter before both teams emptied their benches. Conversely, as the Celtics rallied, they tacked on six points after securing an offensive rebound.

And with just under a minute to play, Tatum passed over a double team, giving Boston a four-on-three, where Brown drove baseline and found a cutting Horford, who provided the exclamation mark on the Celtics' 120-108 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Tatum played nearly the entire fourth quarter but didn't score, making the come-from-behind victory even more impressive. And despite his shot not falling, it didn't negatively affect him defensively, and he impacted the outcome with his facilitating. 

Tatum finished with a game-high 13 assists. Nine of them were on Boston's 21 makes from beyond the arc, setting the record for the most by any player in a Finals game. It exemplified the Celtics' resiliency and their ability to figure out what's needed for them to walk out with a win.

Further Reading

It's Taken Al Horford 15 Years to Reach the NBA Finals; He's Wasting No Time Maximizing His Opportunity

Celtics, Jayson Tatum Discuss His Growth as a Facilitator After He Sets NBA Finals Record

Celtics' Resiliency on Display in Fourth Quarter of Game 1 of NBA Finals: 'We're battle-tested; we've been through a lot'

What Stood Out in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: Celtics' Take Series Opener with Fourth-Quarter Haymaker

Tony Parker Sizes Up the NBA Finals, Talks Ime Udoka and His Collaboration with MTN Dew LEGEND

As the Calls to Separate Them Grew Louder, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Grew Closer: 'two young, extremely competitive guys that just really want to win at all costs'