NBA Finals 2022 – Golden State Warriors remind the NBA that they can win at high odds by any means necessary

SAN FRANCISCO – Facts NBA Finals allows for the thinnest margin of error. The opponents were too elite and the opportunity too precious to squander in a series of seven games. Give Boston CelticsThe sin of roses in Game 5 is too much to overcome Golden Empire Warriors team with championship pedigree at home. The Warriors win 104-94 and now it’s just one win away from claiming its fourth title in eight years.

With the exception of some transcendent individual performances and team explosiveness, the 2022 Finals were a solid defensive match. In game 5, both teams masterfully executed their defensive plans, if not flawlessly. Golden State sold out and relied on its excellent defense, while the Celtics managed to turn Warriors shooters into controllers, providing contentious shots from long distances as the Warriors settled. for them.

After taking the lead in the fourth inning in Game 4 and having a chance to lead the series 3-1, the Celtics had 18 possession – a margin of error in a Game 5 that both teams struggled to maintain. steady attack. The loss also wasted what the Celtics had come to expect from their superstar – a Jayson Tatum game.

The first team to top the entire NBA leads all scorers with 27 points in his most dominant result in the series. To add to the misery, Stephen the curry returned to one of his poorer performances, introducing another opening for the Celtics to capitalize on.

For the Warriors, the growth of Andrew Wiggins was one of the few bright spots in attack on a night when Curry missed 15 of his 22 attempts from the pitch, including a painful 0-9 night from behind the 3-pointer line. Wiggins continues to be a revelation for Golden State. As with all of the Warriors’ compelling attacking styles, they feature limited individual shots when dribbling, especially since Kevin Durant after the 2018-19 season.

While it’s unreasonable to expect Wiggins to fill the void left by Durant, it’s thrilling for the Warriors to watch him strike the paint and crash the board. Wiggins finished with 26 points from 12 to 23 shots from the field and no goals. He also played big for the Warriors, securing a game with 13 rebounds.

During the post-season period when he took over the main defender duties on Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) and Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Wiggins could claim another stamp on his passport as one of the outstanding post-season personal defenders. Once again, he carried most of the load against Tatum, forcing the Celtics star through a series of tough attempts.

One of Wiggins’ signature sequences came midway through the 4th as he tied an airball from Tatum, then received a pass from Curry on the left flank and drove to his right to pass the man. great of the Celtics Al Horford that extended the Warriors’ lead to 11. Wiggins then made the dagger with just over two minutes remaining with an impressive steering drive against the Celtics’ White Derrick.

Having spent much of the series in an emotional spiral while playing the most underperforming basketball of his post-season career, Draymond Green Back to form is one of the game’s most innovative, impactful players. He soon eliminated his offensive discomfort with a couple of buckets in the first five minutes. Since then, Green has performed his usual functions of supporting attack and defending backline champion.

Interested parties will likely hear more detailed analysis on Green’s podcast. But during the few hours of the live, Green just focused on the task at hand and delivered the results in pounds. Celtics shot 1 to 10 when Green was the defender. He fouled in the closing minutes with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 35 minutes.

Throughout the season, the Warriors have emphasized that their team is different from those that have won three titles during Curry’s youth period. That has been proven true in this series of tractors. However, for all its aesthetic shortcomings and ugly offensive efforts, this Warriors team still has one thing in common with its predecessors: the ability to win games with odds The odds are high in any way.

One more win in any fashion on Thursday night and those differences become irrelevant.