Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors were caught off guard. Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics stole game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road from them. The Celtics were able to do so through a monster 4th quarter where they outscored the Warriors 40-16. Additionally, Boston shot incredibly well from the three-point line.
Green noticed that the Celtics scored more than 50% of their three-point attempts. This is considered almost supernatural at even an NBA level. Therefore, when asked about Boston’s excellent three-point shooting night, he chose not to give it too much attention. But one must wonder whether what Boston did in game 1 was mere luck or a clue for what is about to come.
Draymond Green should be worried about the Boston Celtics after Game 1 performance
The Warriors are the favorites to win this series. This is because of their experience and sheer talent. However, when facing a hungry opponent, those factors seldom matter. The Celtics defeated the best teams in the East and have made their first NBA Finals appearance in a decade. Additionally, they have proven themselves to be the best defensive team in the NBA postseason.
Green knows how talented the Celtics can be on both ends of the court. However, being somewhat of a basketball analyst himself, he knows the odds of Boston shooting 50% from the field and the three-point line as a whole are statistically not going to happen again.
Draymond Green: “15-for-23 (from 3). My math right? 8, 7 and 8. Yeah, that’s 23. Yeah, 15-for-23 from (White, Horford and Smart). Ehh, you know, so we’ll be fine.” pic.twitter.com/Jr66zvs0jw
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 3, 2022
In his postgame interview, Green credits Boston for stepping up and knocking down important shots on the road to secure the win for their team. However, his confidence seemed unwavering. Here is what he had to say on how to guard the Celtics better.
“We’ll have to figure out where our next rotation is coming from and do it but you know… they hit 21 3s… White, Smart, and Horford…Those guys are good shooters…but…yeah that’s 15\23 from those guys so… ya know we’ll be fine”.
Green definitely has a point. One must wonder whether even the Celtics expected their stars to be this efficient from long distance. It would definitely benefit the Warriors and Green’s interests to believe that this is a one-time thing with no chance of reoccurring.
Warriors fans must be praying that Green is right. If he is not this series might end a lot more unpleasantly and abruptly for the Golden State Warriors.