So much for all the chatter that experience matters in the NBA Finals. The neophyte Boston Celtics put that concept on its ear by striking first in Game 1 in stunning fashion.
Behind a huge fourth-quarter rally, the Celtics came back to defeat the Golden State Warriors 120-108 on Thursday on the road. After the Warriors, who are playing in their sixth Finals in an eight-year span, used a third-quarter surge to take a double-digit lead, Boston stormed back in the fourth to win and steal homecourt advantage.
How the Warriors respond could define the rest of the series. They had been unbeatable at home during their playoff run this season. But the Warriors have also suffered some embarrassing losses on their way to the Finals.
GAME 2 KEYS: How the Warriors can bounce back to even the series
GAME 2 X-FACTORS: Who could play a pivotal role for each team?
SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Get the latest news and analysis in your inbox
USA TODAY Sports will have live updates and analysis all evening as Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals gets underway.
Three keys for Warriors to even series vs. Celtics in Game 2
SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green doesn’t think the Boston Celtics will make 21 3-pointers in Game 2.
“They hit 21 3s, and Marcus Smart and Al Horford and Derrick White combined for 15 of them,” Green said, perusing the box score. “Yeah, 15-for-23 from those guys, you know, so, we’ll be fine.”
Having two days to review video of Boston’s 120-108 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors came back with a more clear picture of what went wrong in the series opener and what they need to do in Game 2 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
“We have to play with more force on the defensive end,” Green said. “I think there were times in the game when they didn’t feel us.”
Here are key areas for the Warriors in Game 2.
— Jeff Zillgitt
Who are the X-factors for Game 2?
Golden State’s Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole struggled in Game 1, his first NBA Finals game of his three-year career. He scored nine points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from three, down from his 18.4-point average this postseason. He also committed a team-high four turnovers in 25 minutes off the bench. Whether it was “a lot of adrenaline” or “a lot of nerves,” as Steph Curry guessed after their Game 1 loss, the Warriors need Poole to settle in and score as he’s done to get to this point.
Boston’s Derrick White
Derrick White’s shooting has been inconsistent at times during the 2022 playoffs, but he knocked down a postseason career-high five 3-pointers in Game 1, which helped spur the Celtics’ fourth-quarter rally to win. He finished with 21 points off the bench on 6-for-11 shooting and 5-for-8 from three. White not only contributed on offense with his playmaking and shotmaking abilities, but his defense shined so much so that Boston’s Defensive Player the Year, Marcus Smart, didn’t have to enter the fourth quarter until the 3:47 mark.
— Cydney Henderson
Iguodala out for Warriors, Porter and Payton questionable
Golden State will not have its full rotation for Game 2. Reserve forward Andre Iguodala has been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to right knee inflammation. Additionally, Otto Porter Jr. (left foot soreness) and Gary Payton II (left elbow fracture) are listed as questionable ahead of tip-off.
Iguodala played 12 minutes in Game 1, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with three assists. Prior to Game 1, Iguodala had not played since Game 4 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Nuggets. Iguodala has only appeared in four games this postseason.
Porter also returned from injury in Game 1 after missing the last two games of the Western Conference finals against Dallas. He had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 24 minutes. Payton was cleared to return in Game 1 but did not appear Thursday. He has not played since suffering a fractured elbow in Game 2 of the second round against the Grizzlies on a flagrant foul by Dillon Brooks.
Mike Breen still out for Game 2, but Jeff Van Gundy returning
Jeff Van Gundy will rejoin the ABC broadcast team Sunday for Game 2 of the NBA Finals after testing positive for COVID and missing Game 1, an ESPN spokesperson said. However, play-by-play announcer Mike Breen remains sidelined after testing positive and missing Game 7 between Boston and Miami in the Eastern Conference finals and Game 1 of the Finals between Boston and Golden State.
Mark Jones will again handle play-by-play duties alongside analysts Mark Jackson and Van Gundy with Lisa Salters returning to sideline reporting in Game 2. Breen is expected back for Game 3 Wednesday in Boston, according to ESPN.
Opinion: If Warriors can’t beat Celtics in NBA Finals, they’ll be haunted by Kevin Durant’s ghost
The Golden State Warriors are not necessarily doomed to defeat in the NBA Finals because they lost Game 1 at home Thursday to the Boston Celtics. Though Draymond Green’s suggestion that the Warriors “dominated the game for the first 41, 42 minutes” is certainly overstated, they were the better team for a long enough stretch to suggest that they can win games in this series.
But the way Boston exploded in the fourth quarter of Game 1 puts the Warriors in danger of enduring a summer where the conversation revolves around a player who isn’t even on their roster: Kevin Durant.
For as much as the Warriors have restocked and reinvented since the 2019 Finals — what they’ve done this season to return to prominence is a very big deal — hindsight and history will not be as kind as it should be if they lose this series.
— Dan Wolken
Derrick White an unsung hero for Celtics in big Game 1 win
Derrick White was one of the Boston Celtics’ key acquisitions during the season and has been credited with helping their stunning surge up the Eastern Conference standings.
The Celtics acquired White from the San Antonio Spurs in a multiplayer deal at the Feb. 10 trade deadline. At the time, the move didn’t garner much fanfare. But he has been an important role player for the Celtics — and he was crucial to their fourth-quarter surge that buried the Warriors in Game 1.
White scored 21 crucial points off the bench in Boston’s stunning 120-108 win. He was especially lethal from the 3-point line, going 5-for-8.
White has been a key player for the Celtics in their run to the Finals. He’s filled in as a starter for Marcus Smart when Smart missed games in the second and third rounds. He’s been dared to shoot by the Heat and then the Celtics and accepted the challenge. In White’s last three games, he has shot 11-for-18 from 3-point range.
“I mean, I kind of figured they would guard me like that going into the series,” White said. “I missed my first two, but they felt great so I just stayed confident. Teammates and coaches have always told me to stay confident. It’s good to see that one go down, and (I) just got on a roll from there.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals live updates: Iguodala out for Game 2