Inside The Celtics

What Stood Out in Game 3 of the NBA Finals: Celtics More Assertive on Both Ends; Earn 2-1 Lead

The Celtics improve to 7-0 after a playoff loss and take a 2-1 lead over the Warriors.

Bobby Krivitsky

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

When there's a one-to-one tie in the NBA Finals, whoever prevails in Game 3 raises the Larry O'Brien Trophy 82.1 percent of the time.

Recognizing the significance of this game and the need to respond after getting gashed in Game 2, they did so by being the more assertive team at both ends of the court.ย 

They punished the shorter Warriors on the offensive glass, turning 15 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart became the first trio to produce at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Cooper did it in 1984.

Now, for a deep dive into how Boston defended its home floor, earning a 116-100 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It's a win that improves the Celtics' record to 7-0 after losing this postseason.

Celtics Get Off to a Fast Start inย Front of a Spirited Home Crowd

After an early transition foul by Kevon Looney as Jayson Tatum attacked the basket, Tatum was noticeably in pain, reaching for the right shoulder he sustained a stinger in during the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics jumped out to a 10-2 lead. That was thanks to hot shooting, going 3/4 from beyond the arc, and limiting the Warriors to one well-contested look.

Boston also generated five second-chance points in the first three minutes, including a Tatum layup that made it 12-2.

At the 8:43 mark, Ime Udoka quickly went small, bringing Derrick White in for Robert Williams. The Celtics have been at their best this series when downsizing.

With 6:13 to play, Jaylen Brown waved off a screen, went one-on-one with Draymond Green, and converted on a floater from a step in front of the foul line. That gave him ten points on 3/3 shooting and put the hosts ahead 18-9 as the crowd continued going bonkers.

With 5:44 to go in the frame, Tatum drove and dished to Marcus Smart by the basket. Smart got Stephen Curry to bite on a pump fake, resulting in the latter picking up his second foul. Steve Kerr took a timeout before the free throws, but left Curry in the game after the break.

With under five minutes remaining, Brown got a transition layup swatted by Draymond Green. Green then had something to say in Brown's direction, but the latter got the last laugh. After the baseline inbounds, Brown attacked Green, generating another layup. That gave Boston a 22-9 advantage.

At the 2:36 mark, Brown came open on a backdoor cut, took a bounce pass from Smart and threw down a thunderous two-handed jam drawing a roar from the TD Garden faithful.

Brown stayed hot from beyond the arc, too, burying a three from 27 feet to give the Celtics a 33-20 lead with 1:03 left in the quarter.

When the period came to a close, Boston held a 33-22 advantage. Brown led all scorers with 17 points, a Celtics record for most points in a quarter in the NBA Finals. He did so on 6/9 shooting from the field, including 3/4 from beyond the arc.ย 

Al Horford produced seven points on 3/3 shooting, making it a point to attack from the low post. Rather than operating almost exclusively behind the three-point line.

The Celtics' ball movement was drastically improved from Game 2, assisting on 8/12 field goals. It allowed them to continue taking shots in rhythm. The result was knocking down 54.5 percent of their field goals and going 4/10 on threes.

Their aggressive approach also led to 14 points in the paint and eight free throws, capitalizing on five. Boston also generated nine second-chance points.

While Boston did very well defending in the half court, holding the Warriors to 35 percent shooting from the field, including 2/10 on threes, the Celtics committed four turnovers, a figure a bit high but still tolerable. However, their transition defense remains a needed area of improvement as Golden State produced seven points off those giveaways.

Curry finished the first frame with a team-high seven points. Klay Thompson registered five points late in the quarter, including two at the free-throw line. One wonders if it will get him going after struggling the first two games in this series.

Turnovers Plague Celtics, But Boston Takes Double-Digit Lead Into Halftime

Early in the second quarter, the Celtics continued making a living at the rim as Robert Williams rolled to the basket with no resistance, gathered a pass from Tatum, and threw down an emphatic dunk to put Boston ahead 39-25.

At the 9:48 mark, Grant Williams cracked Draymond Green with a backscreen. The latter sold the contact, but it was indisputably an offensive foul. The two then exchanged words, but no technicals were doled out, and play quickly resumed.

With the Warriors now in possession of the ball, Thompson drilled a pull-up mid-range jumper, his third field goal in a row. That cut Golden State's deficit to 39-27.

In about a minute and a half of game time, Tatum knocked down a three from 27 feet, threw a dime to Smart for an alley-oop layup, knocked down another three from 27 feet, and attacked the basket for a layup that gave the Celtics a 56-39 lead with 5:56 left in the first half.

But careless turnovers continued plaguing the home team. At the 4:28 mark, a gift-wrapped turnover from Smart resulted in a Curry three at the other end. It was Boston's eighth turnover. Those giveaways led to 14 points for the Warriors, who now trailed 56-47.

With 4:15 remaining in the second quarter, Curry picked up his third foul. Again, Kerr left him in the game.

With less than 2:30 minutes to go, Green tried to connect with Andrew Wiggins in transition, but with the pass a bit behind the latter, Horford picked it off, got the ball to Tatum, and he dished to Brown for another thunderous two-handed jam. That put the Celtics ahead 61-49.

On the Celtics' following possession, Brown took a pass from Smart and buried a three from above the break, giving him 22 points and the hosts a 64-51 lead.

When the half ended, Boston held a 68-56 advantage. Brown's 22 points were a game-high. He did so on 8/13 shooting, including going 4/6 from beyond the arc. He also led all participants with seven rebounds. And he dished out three assists and only had one turnover.

Tatum went into the break with 11 points on shooting 4/10, including two of four on threes. He also led everyone with five assists and grabbed four boards.

Smart, who produced four-straight points in the second quarter by attacking the basket, went into the locker room with ten. White chipped in seven off the bench and did an admirable job against Curry.

The Celtics shot 57.4 percent from the field in the first half. That included going 8/18 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc. When they weren't turning it over, their ball movement was excellent, keeping Golden State in rotation, leading to defensive breakdowns and finding mismatches to exploit. Boston assisted on 16/27 field goals.

The Celtics also produced 32 points in the paint, doubling the Warriors' total in that category. The hosts aggressive approach also led to 11 free throws, though they only made six (54.5 percent).

But those eight turnovers mentioned earlier, which led to 14 points for Golden State, who also had 12 fast-break points, kept the visitors in the game. It also resulted in Boston slowing the pace at times, even though its often counterproductive for them.

Thompson found his rhythm in the second quarter, finishing the half with a team-high 15 points. Curry had 14, and despite Wiggins going 0/4 on threes, his aggressive mentality led to him putting 13 on the board.

The Celtics outplayed the Warriors in the first half and have a double-digit lead to show for it, but they're only leading by 12 and must take better care of the ball to win this game.

Warriors Again Win the Third Quarter, But Only by Seven

While Boston generated four quick points at the rim, Curry drilled back-to-back threes, including one where Horford dropped below the three-point line, giving him too clean of a look. That three cut Golden State's deficit to 72-64.

But at the other end of the court, Curry got whistled for a reach-in foul as Smart was preparing to shoot a three, picking up his fourth foul and sending Smart to the line for three free throws. Smart made all three shots, putting Boston ahead 75-64.

He followed that up by breaking up a pass to Green in the corner, with the ball last touching the latter. Horford then fired the inbounds pass downcourt to a streaking Brown, who caught the defense napping. He hammered home a dunk that gave the hosts a 77-64 advantage, bringing the TD Garden crowd to their feet.

At the 5:06 mark, Curry cashed in a pull-up three from 26 feet. To make matters worse for Boston, Horford not only fouled him, but with his leg in Curry's landing space, the call got upgraded to a flagrant-1.

Curry converted on the free throw, and Otto Porter knocked down a well-contested three, turning it into a seven-point possession. It also made it a two-point game, 82-80.

With 3:45 remaining, Curry capitalized on another three, giving Golden State an 83-82 advantage, its first lead since going up 2-0. But Smart quickly answered with a three off a dish from Tatum, putting Boston back on top 85-83.

With 2:11 left, Tatum spun on Looney, then muscled his way to the basket for a layup that made it 89-85.

Grant Williams then produced four-straight points, including off an open three from the right corner that gave the Celtics a 93-86 lead.

After Thompson matched Williams' three, Boston went into the final frame with a 93-89 advantage.

While not as damaging as the third quarters in Games 1 or 2, the Warriors outscored the Celtics 33-25 in the third period, cutting the deficit from 12 to four.ย 

Celtics Prevail in the Final Frame

At the 10:54 mark, the Warriors doubled Tatum as he came off a screen from Smart. Tatum then got the ball to Smart, and he banked in a three to the disbelief of Gary Payton II. The shot put Boston ahead 98-89.

Grant Williams then grabbed offensive rebounds on back-to-back possessions, leading to a Tatum mid-range fadeaway basket and a Williams put-back at the rim. The latter gave the hosts a 102-91 advantage.

It was the Celtics' 13th offensive rebound of the game and their 20th second-chance point. Capitalizing on their size advantage has been one of the difference-makers to this point in the game.

Robert Williams then rotated over to reject a Curry floater, his fourth block of the night.

With 7:22 remaining, Brown attacked Green off the dribble, resulting in Green picking up his fifth foul. He stayed in the game, and Brown went 1/2 at the free-throw line, extending Boston's lead to 105-96.

With just over five minutes left, Tatum called off a screen, attacked Porter one-on-one, drawing Curry to help his teammate, and Tatum dished to Smart for a three that gave the Celtics a 110-96 advantage.

Thompson thought he had Brown beat for a layup at the other end of the court, but the latter came from over the top to emphatically reject his shot. That drew a roar from Brown and the home crowd.

At the 4:07 mark, a scrum for a loose ball off a Tatum missed jumper resulted in Green fouling out and Curry hurting his leg as Horford inadvertently fell into him in pursuit of the ball. Curry stayed in the game, though.

Then, after a Horford alley-oop to the Timelord and Smart taking Curry off the dribble for a basket from eight feet, Kerr signaled for a timeout and emptied his bench with his team trailing 114-100 with 2:19 on the clock.

Brown finished with a team-high 27 points. He shot 9/16 from the field, including 4/8 from beyond the arc. He earned five points at the free-throw line, and had nine rebounds, five assists, and only two turnovers.

Tatum scored 26 points, and while it took 23 shots, much like Game 1, he did an outstanding job facilitating. He led all participants with nine assists. Tatum also registered six rebounds. Like Brown, he only had two turnovers.

Smart delivered 24 points on 8/17 shooting, including making 3/7 threes. Like Brown and Tatum, he added five points at the foul line. Smart also grabbed seven rebounds and distributed five assists.

Tatum, Brown, and Smart are the first trio to produce at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Cooper did it in 1984.

Boston also got significant contributions from its big men. Horford produced 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. The hosts got eight points, ten rebounds, a game-high four blocks, and three steals from Robert Williams, who had a tremendous impact at the rim on both ends of the court. And Grant Williams provided ten points and five rebounds, including three to extend possessions.

The Celtics played aggressively, and when they took care of the ball, consistently produced quality, in-rhythm shots. They made 48.3 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 13/35 (37.1 percent) of their threes.

They also generated 52 points in the paint to Golden State's 26. And they took 24 free throws to the Warriors' 15, making 17 of them. Boston also beat up on Golden State on the offensive glass, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds and turning those into 22 second-chance points.

They also went from committing eight turnovers, resulting in 14 Warriors points in the first half, to four in the final two quarters, limiting them to five additional points off giveaways.

Conversely, Golden State coughed the ball up 17 times, leading to 17 points for the Celtics.

Curry finished with a game-high 31 points, including shooting 6/11 from beyond the arc. It's anyone's guess if it carries over, but Thompson found his rhythm tonight, scoring 25 points on 7/17 shooting. The Warriors also got 18 points from Wiggins.

However, the Celtics were in control of this game nearly the whole night. They cut down on the turnovers in the second half and lost the third quarter by a manageable amount (33-25), taking the lead into the final frame instead of being down double digits for the first time this series. They were the more assertive team on both ends, which is why Boston is the side taking a 2-1 lead into Game 4.

When the series is one-to-one, whoever wins Game 3 of the NBA Finals wins 82.1 percent of the time, so this is a pivotal victory in the Celtics' pursuit of banner 18.

Up Next

Game 4 of the NBA Finals is Friday night. Tip-off is at 9:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum's Aware of Debates About If He's a Superstar, But He's Focused on Getting 3 More Wins

Different Building, Same Mystique, Stephen Curry Discusses Playing NBA Finals at TD Garden

Celtics Address Draymond Green Trying to Get Under Their Skin: 'We're here to play basketball, don't get caught up in the antics'

The Celtics Know Failing to Protect Home Court Likely Leaves Them on Losing End of NBA Finals

Turnovers at Root of Celtics' Game 2 Loss vs. Warriors: 'a constant theme in the playoffs; when that happens, we're in trouble'

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

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

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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