The Golden State Warriors earned a loud Game 5 victory Monday night, beating the Boston Celtics 104-94 in San Francisco. The Warriors have a chance to earn the franchise’s seventh title as the NBA Finals head back east for a crucial Game 6. Game 5 put some of Boston’s worst habits in stark relief. The turnovers were bad. The free-throw shooting was bad. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were bad. The Celtics looked unwilling or unable to meet the moment.
It’s worth noting Boston has been here before. They trailed the Bucks 3-2 in the conference semi-finals. They let up a costly Game 6 to the Heat in the next round. This young Celtics team has struggled to take command in the postseason, and here against the Warriors, it’s the same old story.
The ’21-22 Celtics are inconsistent, but they are also surprisingly resilient. Game 6 is another opportunity for Boston to shock the world and steady the ship. That means fully putting to bed the problems we saw in Game 5.