Inside The Celtics

What Stood Out in Game 5 of NBA Finals: Warriors Shake Off Celtics' Third-Quarter Run to Take 3-2 Lead

Celtics fall to 1-7 when committing 16 or more turnovers this postseason.

Bobby Krivitsky

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

When the NBA Finals is 2-2, the winner of Game 5 captures the Larry O'Brien Trophy 73.3 percent of the time.

After struggling to find their rhythm and committing nine turnovers in the first half, the Celtics outscored the Warriors 19-4 to start the third quarter, gaining their first lead and providing hope the stat in the stanza above would swing in their favor.

But when Jordan Poole banked in a three at the buzzer to give Golden State the lead entering the final frame, the Warriors seized control of the game and never let it slip.

It's the first time Boston's lost back-to-back games this postseason. Now, for a deep dive into why it happened.

Celtics Struggle to Find Rhythm Offensively; Warriors Feed Off Home Crowd in First Frame

The energy from the crowd at the Chase Center at the start of the game was incredible. It resembled the atmosphere at an international soccer game.

The Warriors repeatedly made the Celtics pay with their off-ball activity, including Andrew Wiggins and Otto Porter scoring off basket cuts to help give Golden State an early 12-4 advantage.

The Warriors started the game shooting 6/9 while Boston was 2/7, lacking on and off-ball activity and struggling to get in rhythm.

The first three of the game didn't come until Klay Thompson drilled one at the 5:14 mark, extending Golden State's lead to 17-6.

Searching for a spark, Jaylen Brown came off staggered screens from Derrick White and Al Horford, attacked downhill and got a layup plus a trip to the free-throw line. However, Brown missed the foul shot, keeping the score at 17-8.

Despite the Celtics' early offensive struggles, when Jayson Tatum subbed out for Grant Williams with 4:54 remaining in the first frame, it left them with not much firepower on the floor; the lineup was Brown, Williams, White, Horford, and Marcus Smart.

Ime Udoka addressed that by bringing Tatum, Robert Williams, and Payton Pritchard into the game about two minutes later.

Stephen Curry challenged the Timelord at the rim in the final seconds of the first quarter. There was contact with the body, but with Williams adhering to the rule of verticality, no foul got called. However, Golden State retained possession even though the ball clearly went out off Curry.

Williams then fouled Wiggins after the inbounds and before the period ended. Expressing his displeasure with the call, Udoka got issued a technical. Perhaps, he said something to cross the line, but the situation calls for more patience than demonstrated in that moment.

Curry missed the free throw for the technical, and Wiggins went 1/2 at the line, giving the Warriors a 27-16 lead entering the second quarter.

The hosts are shooting 52.4 percent from the field, compared to the visitors only converting 34.8 percent of their attempts.

Committing four turnovers that resulted in six points for Golden State also didn't help Boston's cause.

If looking for a positive, Jayson Tatum started the game 3/3, producing six points.

But the Celtics need to play with more activity and force offensively to gain a 3-2 series lead.

Celtics Cut Deficit to Single Digits, But Turnovers Continue to Stand in Their Way

At the 9:57 mark in the second quarter, after a Jordan Poole three, Tatum threw a careless pass that got picked by Draymond Green. Green's transition dunk got swatted by the Timelord, but the latter got whistled for fouling him in the process. Green went 2/2 at the line, putting the Warriors ahead 32-18.

But Boston responded. Smart attacked the basket for two points at the rim, Tatum elevated for a 20-foot jump shot over Poole, and Smart beat Nemanja Bjelica for a bucket from in close that made it 32-24; a 6-0 run prompting Steve Kerr to take a timeout.

With 5:41 remaining, Green ended a nearly 4:30 scoring drought for the Warriors, making a floater to extend the home team's lead to 34-26.

Tatum knocked down the Celtics' first three of the game with 4:34 left to play in the first half, improving them to 1/13 from beyond the arc. It also cut the deficit to 37-29.

Boston's following possession, an assertive Tatum shot the gap, then kicked the ball out to Horford for another three. He followed that up with his first trip to the free-throw line, but he went 0/2, preserving a 41-32 score.

With 1:46 left, Horford went 1/2 at the line, bringing the Celtics to 3/7 on free throws. Conversely, Golden State is 8/10. The attempt Horford made trimmed the gap to 45-36.

But the Warriors threw the last punch of the half, utilizing layups from Wiggins and Curry to extend their lead to 51-39 at the break.

That Wiggins layup gave him a game-high 16 points. Curry had ten, and Green had eight.

The Warriors had a much easier time generating quality shots, and they turned nine Boston turnovers into 13 points. The Celtics' most trusted players, Brown (3), Tatum (2), and Smart (2), were most responsible for not taking care of the ball.

Conversely, the hosts only committed three turnovers, leading to two of the visitor's points.

And while neither team was shooting over 20 percent from beyond the arc, as mentioned earlier, Golden State went 8/10 at the free-throw line while Boston ended the half 4/9 on foul shots.

But the Celtics helped themselves by converting four offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points.

Tatum had 13 points on 6/9 shooting, Robert Williams scored eight, and Smart contributed seven, but Brown was stuck on four points, going 2/10 and consistently taking tough shots.

The Celtics need to play with more energy, on and off-ball activity, and force to hang with the Warriors, who are known for their third-quarter runs, and prevail in the final frame. Of course, they also need to take care of the ball.

Celtics Win the Third Quarter, But Can't Hold the Lead

Brown produced the first four points of the second half, going 4/4 at the free-throw line. That included after picking off a pass from Green and drawing the third foul on Thompson.

Then came a Tatum three at the left wing that made it 51-46. Tatum drilled one from the top of the key the next time down, the fifth-straight three for Boston, closing the gap to 51-49.

At the 7:52 mark, Tatum buried another shot from beyond the arc, taking Otto Porter off the dribble and cashing in on another attempt above the break. With a Thompson floater coming nearly a minute before it, that trimmed the deficit to 53-52.

With 6:55 remaining in the third frame, Smart made an open three from up top, tying the game at 55. It was also the Celtics' seventh-straight three.

The Boston three party continued as Tatum drove and kicked to Horford for a three from above the break that gave the Celtics their first lead of the night, 58-55.

At that point, they were outscoring Golden State 19-4 in the third quarter.

The two teams then traded second-chance baskets, starting with a Smart three, followed by Robert Williams accidentally tipping in a Wiggins miss from beyond the arc, then Brown cleaning up a Tatum floater that didn't go through the net.

Brown's tip-in gave the visitors a 63-59 lead with 5:10 to go in the period.

At the 3:55 mark, Grant Williams followed a rejection of a Curry pull-up three with a three-point play, pushing the Celtics' advantage to 66-61.

But Thompson ended an 0/14 Warriors drought beyond the arc, drilling back-to-back threes. The second one made it 68-67.

With 54.4 seconds left, Green pushed the ball in transition and delivered a bounce pass to Gary Payton II for a layup that gave Golden State a 72-71 lead. But Brown answered with a layup while getting fouled by Green, his third personal.

Brown then made the free throw, putting Boston back on top 74-72.

But Poole banked in a three at the buzzer, giving the Warriors a 75-74 lead and momentum entering the final frame.

The Celtics won the third quarter 35-24, but losing the lead on a buzzer beater stings. Still, they're only down one and were the better team that frame. An encouraging sign with 12 minutes left.

Celtics' Gas Tank on Empty in the Fourth Quarter

At the 9:31 mark, Thompson dislodged Smart and buried an open three, giving Golden State a 7-0 run and an 82-74 lead, it's largest of the night.

After a Boston timeout, a frustrated Smart got a technical while arguing over the lack of a foul call at the other end. Poole made the free throw, extending the Warriors' lead to 83-74.

Frustration mounted for Smart as Poole grabbed his arm, resulting in Smart hitting Poole in the face. You can guess who got called for the foul.

Poole then buried a mid-range jump shot, making it 85-74. But after a Kevon Looney miss, Brown scored the Celtics' first points of the quarter on a layup with 8:21 to play.

With 6:06 left, Brown grabbed his rebound, got fouled, and made the basket, but the officials didn't grant him continuation. That seemed like the wrong call and worth Ime Udoka using his challenge. He didn't, and Tatum then airballed a mid-range jump shot, potentially losing out on as much as three points.

At the 3:01 mark, despite Kerr challenging the call, Green fouled out on an attempted layup by Smart. Smart then made both free throws, cutting the deficit to 95-84.

With 2:10 left, Wiggins provided the exclamation mark with a thunderous one-handed jam, extending Golden State's lead to 99-84.

When the final buzzer sounded, and the Warriors clinched a 104-94 win, they had outscored the Celtics in three of four quarters. Even though they got outscored 35-24 in the third frame, Poole's buzzer beater got them the lead back, a deflating blow Boston didn't counter.

The Celtics committed 18 turnovers in the loss, resulting in 22 Golden State points. They're now 1-7 when giving the ball away 16 or more times this postseason.

And despite taking 31 free throws to the Warriors' 15, Boston went 21/31 at the line, leaving ten points on the board.

Tatum led all participants with 27 points in the loss. He shot 10/20, including 5/9 from beyond the arc. He also had ten rebounds and four assists, but committed four turnovers.

Smart had 20 points but matched Tatum in turnovers, and Brown scored 18, but it came on 18 shots. He went 0/8 on threes but made 8/10 free throws on a night no one else on either team attempted more than four. However, he led all participants with five turnovers.

Those three didn't get enough help scoring-wise, and as Boston's primary ball-handlers, they had 13 of the team's 18 giveaways.

As for Golden State, despite Curry finishing with 16 points on 22 shots, Wiggins stepped up, delivering a team-best 26 points, pairing it with 13 rebounds. Thompson provided 21, and Poole contributed 15 off the bench.

The Warriors were the better team for three of four quarters. Overall, they played with more energy and force and took better care of the ball (seven turnovers). They're the side that deserves to head back to Boston with a 3-2 series lead.

The question is, can the Celtics, who have struggled to protect their home court, avoid the Warriors enjoying a championship celebration at TD Garden and send this series back to the Bay for Game 7.

Up Next

Game 6 of the NBA Finals is Thursday 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

Is Jayson Tatum Putting Too Much Pressure on Himself? Celtics Star Shares His Perspective

[Film Room] Keys to Celtics Getting Jayson Tatum Going in Game 5 of NBA Finals

Celtics Address Reasons Behind Their Offense Stagnating in Game 4 Loss to Warriors

[Film Room] In NBA Finals Game 3, Jaylen Brown Balanced Scoring and Facilitating, Showing How He Can Raise Celtics' Ceiling

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

Celtics Feed Off Home Crowd in Game 3 Win Over Warriors: 'They give us so much energy and so much juice'

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

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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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