Clearly, the Golden State Warriors are the more experienced team, and you just knew that they were not going to get swept in the NBA Finals.
Boston’s win in Game 1 was undoubtedly a surprise for the folks in the Bay Area, but they will now head east to Beantown with the series tied 1-1 after a dominant 107-88 Golden State victory in Game 2.
The Player of the Game? Stephen Curry got that award. After what took place in Game 1, Curry’s rebound in Game 2, combined with a balanced effort from the rest of the roster, helped this team remind folks about who and what this team is.
The Golden State Warriors rebounded from a tough Game 1 loss with a dominant Game 2 win in the NBA Finals.
While Jayson Tatum rebounded from a rough opening finals game with 28 points, the surprise was Al Horford, as he finished with just two points. Jaylen Brown did score 17, Grant Williams had six, and Derrick White had 12 off the bench, but again, the third quarter proved to be the profitable one for Golden State.
Thirty-five points right out of intermission were what the doctor ordered for Curry and his cooking assistants. Curry would finish the night with 29 points with five three-pointers, six rebounds, and four assists. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins scored 11, Kevon Looney scored 12, and Jordan Poole finally splashed with 17 points off the bench.
After two quarters, the game was within reach for Boston, as they were down only 52-50, but Golden State’s experience showed up and was a nightmare for Ime Udoka and co. Meanwhile, Steve Kerr basked in the glow of Curry continuing to ignore the outside noise (Rob Parker), making a statement after a rough fourth quarter in Thursday’s opener.
As stated before, this was not going to be an easy series unless Golden State goes complete 2001 Los Angeles Lakers and wins four straight after losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But don’t count on it.
Udoka probably got in his player’s heads after the game and told them that the loss was unacceptable. On the other hand, Kerr had to be pleased with what his team had done, and while being tough on his troops, he gave them credit for biting back.
What’s done is done. This series will indeed be returning to the Chase Center regardless of what happens at TD Garden. But for now, it’s time to take the NBA Finals on the road to the East Coast. To a sea of green.
Let’s see if Golden State keeps up their momentum from Game 2, or if Boston continues their recent trend of not losing back-to-back games in the postseason and fights back.
Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals is set to tip-off at 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 8, on ESPN.