Tag: 2022 nba playoffs

What do the Boston Celtics need to do to win Game 5 of the NBA Finals? Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, not turn the ball over

Boston has lost every postseason game in 2022 they have turned it over more than 15 times.

For at least ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the key to a Boston Celtics win in Game 5 of their 2022 NBA Finals series with the Golden State Warriors is obvious. “Turnovers,” said Bontemps on a recent episode of “NBA Today.”

“If the Celtics don’t turn the ball over, nothing else matters — they will win the game,” he added. “They are 14-2 in the playoffs when they have 15 or fewer turnovers, and 0-6 in the playoffs when they have 16 or more; that’s what this comes down to. If they don’t let Kevon Looney go crazy on the offensive glass, if they take care of the ball, they have more possessions than Golden State, I don’t think it matters what Steph (Curry) does.”

Could it truly be so simple for the Celtics to retake control of the Finals? When it is so late in the NBA postseason, even little things can have a big impact, and by now these two teams know each other’s tendencies very well.

Just hours away from tipoff, we will get the proof we need regarding what will be key to either team winning — and with the series tied at 2 games each, that win very well may decide the series and the title.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtics Lab 122: Talking about the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Derrick White, and Giannis with Mirin Fader

This episode, we dive into the postseason and longform NBA reporting more generally through the lens of D-White, The Greek Freak, and the writing of Mirin Fader.

The NBA is a fast-paced league with a fever-pitched pace unkind to those who linger on the past or even the present too long. That can make it a challenge to put together coverage that cuts deeper than the often-superficial (but still important!) topics that make up the bread and butter of NBA reporting.

The Ringer’s Mirin Fader has made a career going against that grain, opening windows into the lives of those NBA players she covers on par with the best of the best long-form treatment seen in other fields of coverage evoking palpable, emotive worlds otherwise beyond our grasp and understanding.

Known for her biographical treatment of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and the recent author of an article focused on Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, Fader has a unique window on Boston’s current journey to the Finals she agreed to share on the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast.

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Join your usual hosts Cameron Tabatabaie, Justin Quinn, and Alex Goldberg as we talk all things longform NBA writing, the 2022 NBA Playoffs, and more with Mirin Fader.

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This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors: 2022 NBA Finals Game 5 (6/13)

Everything you need to know about Monday’s Game 5 matchup between Boston and Golden State.

The Boston Celtics make the trip back to the Bay Area to face the Golden State Warriors in a pivotal Game 5 matchup of their 2022 NBA Finals series on Monday. They will play it at the Dubs’ home court of Chase Center, a hostile environment they will need to steal a win at if they want to win this season’s title and a league-record 18th banner to hang at TD Garden.

If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the action live on cable television or an online streaming service, keep reading while we get you up to speed on everything you need to know about the game.

Let’s begin with who ought to be available to play.

Celtics center Robert Williams III avoided knee reinjury in Game 4

Timelord is reportedly feeling better after some rest.

Late in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III appeared to re-aggravate his surgically repaired knee, but according to Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, the Texas A&M product did not experience any serious issues with his recuperating appendage.

“He did not do a specific thing, so he doesn’t know when it happened” explained Udoka after practice on Sunday. “He just sprinted up and down one time after one possession and it was bothering him a little bit, and that’s why he asked to come out.” The Celtics coach acknowledged it hampered Williams’ play in Game 4, but had since begun to improve.

Per Udoka, Timelord is “doing better (with) the day off,” with the hope that the longer break between games has the same rejuvenating effect on his play.

Still, Boston will play it safe with Williams and test his knee before the game to ensure he’s not feeling constricted.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Dubs forward Draymond Green thinks Celtics’ Jayson Tatum has been ‘playing well’ despite his shot being off

There is respect between the two former Team USA members.

One might get the impression from Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green that he has only contempt for his opponents in the 2022 NBA Finals, but the Dubs big man has made it known more than once that he has quite a bit of respect for Boston Celtics star forward and fellow Team USA member Jayson Tatum.

Asked about how his former Olympic teammate has been doing in the Finals to date, the Michigan State product shared his thoughts on the Celtics star’s play against Golden State to date. “It’s tough,” he explained. “You’re experiencing something for the first time.”

“I think he’s handled it well,” added Green. “He’s maybe not shot the ball as well as he’d like or everyone else would like, but overall I think he’s been playing well, and that’s why it’s a 2-2 series.”

Whether the St. Louis native finds his shot or not in the Finals may very well end up deciding what has been an electric series so far given, as the Warriors forward noted, things are knotted up at two games each.

We’ll see how things play out soon enough, with Game 5 set to play out on Monday night.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtics Lab 121: How important is Boston winning Game 5 for hanging Banner 18?

And more importantly, what are the keys to the Celtics going back to TD Garden up 3-2 in the series?

By now, just about every Boston Celtics fan with access to the internet knows the statistic regarding the winners of Game 5 in an NBA postseason series, but this Game 5 in the team’s 2022 NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors feels especially important. Just how critical is it for the Celtics to steal another game on the road in their quest to hang an NBA-record 18th banner in the rafters of TD Garden?

Perhaps even more importantly, what did Game 4’s loss teach us about what might be coming down the pike in the two team’s next contest, and what could Boston do to counter what they have seen from Golden State so far.

In this episode of the CLNS Media podcast, we do our best to divine how the first of the three potentially remaining games of the 2021-22 NBA season might go — and what the Celtics ought to do to maximize their chances at winning it all.

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Join your usual hosts Alex Goldberg, Cameron Tabatabaie, and Justin Quinn as we gear up for an absolutely massive Monday evening showdown.

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This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Inconsistent Celtics need to right the ship after Game 4 loss

“We have to come out and respond,’ said Horford after Boston’s Game 4 loss.

Al Horford was asked about the Boston Celtics’ seemingly inconsistent play after Game 4 of his team’s 2022 NBA Finals series with the Golden State Warriors, dialing in on why there seem to be things the Celtics can control that they, for whatever reason, do not. All postseason long, Boston has been inconsistent and has often had trouble putting 2 good games together in a row.

This is normal for young stars and young teams in general throughout the NBA. Consistency comes with age and more game experience. All the more concerning that both of the team’s veterans, Marcus Smart and Horford, have had so much trouble with consistency.

Smart and Horford are crucial to the Celtics winning and neither showed up in the 4th quarter when it mattered most. The guys who you rely on to stop the bleeding and right the ship, have fallen short multiple times this postseason run.

Horford said later, “This team, we’ve shown all year when our backs are against the wall, we have to come out and respond. Obviously, it’s a big challenge ahead, but it’s something that we have to (do)”.

If the Celtics have any chance of winning the series, they need their two vets to show up and make a difference on both ends of the floor.

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‘It’s not going to be easy,’ says Celtics’ Jayson Tatum of beating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals

It would help if Boston spent less time beating themselves, however.

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum was clearly bothered by his team’s disappointing Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, a lost opportunity to go up 3-1 instead sees the series tied up at 2 games each through the heroics of Golden State star Stephen Curry.

Speaking with the media after the 107-97 loss, the St. Louis native spoke on the loss, and whether it was more a matter of the team letting the game get away from them, or the historic, 43-point, 10-rebound performance erupting from Curry at TD Garden on Friday night.

“It’s tough — you’ve got to give them credit, they played well. They made some big shots,” related Tatum.

NBA, Celtics Twitter react to Boston losing Game 4 107-97 on late Dubs surge

This is what Celtics and NBA Twitter had to say about

There might be plenty to critique of how the Boston Celtics played late in their 107-97 Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals on Friday night, but the story of the evening was easily the historic performance of star Golden State point guard Stephen Curry, who put up an absurd 43 points and 10 rebounds to put the Warriors on his back.

In so doing, the Dubs avoided a deadly 1-3 series deficit and instead tied the Finals up at 2 games each, the next game to be played on the Warriors’ home court of Chase Center as the series shifts back to San Francisco.

NBA and Celtics Twitter took to the league’s unofficial social media site to air their thoughts about the game — let’s take a look at what was said.

Golden State at Boston: Warriors steal Game 4 107-97 on the road to even series 2-2

Some of the best plays of Game 4 captured in images.

The Boston Celtics played the Golden State Warriors closely all throughout Game 4 of their 2022 NBA Finals series Friday night, but a return of sloppy play coupled with a historic, 43-point, 10-rebound game from Dubs star Steph Curry ultimately won the day for Golden State, the Warriors tying up the series with a 107-97 win.

The Celtics saw solid play from star swingman Jayson Tatum (23 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks), star forward Jaylen Brown (21 points, 6 rebounds), and point guard Marcus Smart (18 points, 5 assists, 4 steals). Reserve guard Derrick White chipped in another 16 points off of the bench.

Let’s take a look at some of the best plays of Game 4 captured in images.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!