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What we Learned from Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals

What did we learn?

Mike Goodpaster

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Chief Editor

Publish Date: 06/03/2022

Fact checked by: Mark Lewis

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 06: Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu 12 guards Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum 0 during a NBA, Basketball Herren, USA game between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls on April 6, 2022 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire NBA: APR 06 Celtics at Bulls Icon22040611

Game 1

On Thursday night, aOn Thursday night, a 40-16 fourth quarter led the Boston Celtics to a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Sadly, anybody who thought this would be an easy series for the Warriors was mistaken. The Celtics defense was legendary in the fourth quarter, and while Jayson Tatum did not score many points,, he proved that you could affect a game just as much on the defensive end as you can on the offensive game. The Celtics defense was fantastic on the switching and closing out on shots,, and a seemingly effortless Warriors win turned into a double-digit Celtics win. Check out the best bookmakers for betting on game two of the NBA Finals!

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The National Anthem was atrocious

Neal Schon,, the founder of the legendary rock band Journey,, played an instrumental version of the national anthem on his guitar,, and it was horrendous! Trust me,, nobody will mistake Schon for Jimmi Hendrix, I am not big on taking a knee for the Anthem, but I was ready to bow out and take a knee about twenty seconds in asking him to stop!

The First All-Black announcer crew

I know that ESPN is as woke as they come,, but why publicize something that’s not a big deal? When ESPN started posting all over the place about this supposed epic achievement,, it struck me that there hadn’t been an all-white broadcasting crew since 2006, which meant that this was the first announcer team that wasn’t diverse in over fifteen years!

Tatum and Horford get it done in different ways..

While Jayson Tatum only scored 12 points, he also had 13 assists and was a plus-16. Al Horford continued to be a star in the playoffs as of late, leading the Celtics with 26 points. His six 3-pointers are the most ever for a player’s Finals debut. Tatum showed that his greatness is not just tied to scoring; he is a complete player. Horford is the best big man in this series as he can make huge differences on both sides of the floor. Horford,, if he continues to play as he has in these playoffs,, the Warriors will be in trouble.

Steph Curry first quarter wasn’t enough

Curry played the entire opening period and went off for 21 of the Warriors’ 32 points, Curry’s first quarter was legendary. He went 7-for-9 from the field and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. For good measure, Curry also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal in the first 12 minutes of the game. Curry was nothing less than a beast in the first quarter, the rest of the game was a different story.

His 21 first-quarter points are the most since 1996. Kobe Bryant had the previous record with 17 in 2009. And Curry became the first to score at least 21 points in one quarter of the Finals since Michael Jordan in 1993. Curry also set a Finals record with his six 3-pointers in the first quarter. Check out the top sportsbooks for betting on the NBA Finals!

The rest of the game the Curry was held to thirteen points as the Celtics physicality and toughness ruled the day.

Warriors face must win Game 2

The Warriors have to win game 2 if they want any chance to win this Finals series. Boston will be crazy in games 3 and 4 and just a split puts the the Celtics up 3-1 going back to Golden State. A 3-1 deficit will not end well for the Warriors.