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Game Five Preview
As the buzzer sounded off in game four, Warriors guard Stephen Curry pounded his chest in full
exhaustion. Hyped after a historical Finals performance, scoring 43 points in one of the most
insane basketball atmospheres in the nation.
After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 107-97 on Friday in game four, the
series is now a best-of-three for the championship as both teams are tied 2-2.
Both teams have not given in to losing two games straight so far in this year's postseason. The
pressure will be on Boston to take game five on the road tonight in San Francisco with both
teams getting two days off over the weekend, getting healthy with rest.
Only Robert Williams III is questionable for game five as he continues to tolerate a knee injury.
The Warriors are barely outscoring the Celtics so far in this series(422-421). However, each
game hasn’t been decided by fewer than double digits.
Curry has a series-best 25 of the Warriors’ 64 threes. 14 of them came in game four. Despite
struggling to defend against one of the most elite shooters in NBA history, Boston still looks to
respond.
“It’s basketball,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said after practice on Sunday. “We get an
opportunity tomorrow to come out and make up for it.”
Boston shot 40% from the field in game four, including going 73.7% from the charity line. In a
game where Golden State was held to six points halfway through the first quarter, the Celtics
never converted a run to keep the game out of reach. This might be something to watch in
game five.
The Prediction
Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins was phenomenal in game four. He finished with 17
points and 16 rebounds, some of them being offensive ones. Golden State out rebounded
Boston by 13 in game four. In the series itself, each team that collected the most rebounds went
on to win the game. In some statistical fantasy, the boards might be the answer for game five.
As dominating the glass will be a factor, this might also mean that attacking the paint will be the
ideal strategy. With that being said, the Celtics hold a 8-3 road record in the postseason due to
being the aggressors against their opponents. I expect them to win in a close one as the
Warriors defense will be tarnished by Boston being aggressive to start the game offensively.
Tipoff is at 9pm tonight on ABC.
Written by- Brandon Hernandez
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