NBA Finals Game 2 Preview 

By:Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: NBA

Well, I think it’s safe to say that we have us a series. After shocking the world and winning in Golden State, the Celtics appear to be in the driver’s seat in many people’s eyes. Game 1 was a game to remember. Mind you, the Celtics aren’t really experienced like the Warriors are when it comes to playing at the biggest stage here in the NBA Finals. With that being said, we can definitely agree that the Celtics are “Battle Tested”. This road that they went on to get here has said and proven a lot! The Celtics are resilient. They are tough! And they want to win. They’re hungry. No one wanted to play KD and Kyrie, especially in the first round. They’re 2 of the most dynamic scorers in the entire league. No one wanted to play against Giannis and the Bucks. Even if Khris Middlton wasn’t there, the Bucks are a force to be reckoned with. And no one never wants to play a #1 Seed. Miami held it down all season long. Injuries got the best of them though late in this postseason. The Celtics have proven a lot thus far and that is why they’re here playing in the NBA Finals. Everyone seems to quickly favor Boston now that they stole Game 1 in Golden State. While I’m not arguing that the Celtics could win this series and become NBA Champions, I am warning everyone to chime it down just a little bit. Cool your jets as Bart Simpson would say. Don’t become prisoners of the moment. Many years and moons ago, there was a team that were major underdogs in the NBA Finals and they manage to win Game 1 on the road! After that victory, they failed to win a single game and became victims of a gentleman’s sweep. I am referring to the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the LA Lakers back in the 2001 NBA Finals. Now, this Celtics team is far more talented then that Sixers team. That Lakers team was really good. Honestly, almost like “ALL-TIME” good. We can say they were one of the better teams to win an NBA Championship. We can also say the same about this Warriors team. They’re deep! They can beat you in many different ways by many different players. In GM 1, Boston’s best player struggled to do what he’s best at, score the basketball. He shot just 3-17 and finished with 12 points. However, he didn’t allow that to ruin his night. He had a career high 13 assist. While Tatum struggled, the rest of the gang had career nights shooting the basketball. This team averaged 13 3 Pointers Made a game this year. In GM 1, they knocked down 21. Horford, Smart, and White made 15 of them. They were really locked in and in the zone.

But the question that remains to be answered is can they and will they be able to shoot like this throughout this series? Looking back at this game, The Warriors were in control for a good portion of this game. Boston is strong and tough. They were able to keep it interesting and close until that 3rd Q hit. The Warriors blew this game in the 4th. What’s even more worth noting is Steph Curry was a man amongst boys in that 1st Q. He wouldn’t miss. After scoring 21 Points in that 1st Q, Steph was held scoreless in the 2nd. Often times, when a guy starts off hot like that, it hurts the team in the longrun. Teams tend to keep feeding the hot hand and no one else never really gets into a rhythm. Klay, Draymond, and Poole just didn’t look like themselves at all. They struggled tremendously. We have to give credit to Boston’s defense. They were the #1 Defense in the league for a reason. But sooner or later, GS will get these guys going and going early at that. I expect that to happen in Game 2. The Warriors are not a team to play around with. Game 2 is a Must Win for Boston. If they lose this game, then things will definitely get interesting in this series.