The Boston Celtics had an opportunity to stop the greatest winning streak any team has had to start a season and they pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink. The Warriors have had close games on this run and they have even had another overtime game but nothing like this heavyweight battle against the Celtics.
This was the game that everyone thought might be the end for the Warriors. Playing in a playoff atmosphere in TD Garden against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Throw in that Klay Thompson was dealing with his ankle sprain and everyone knew it would take a special effort from the Warriors to preserve their streak.
For the first time maybe this entire season Stephen Curry could not get the space we are accustomed to him getting. Curry still managed to put together a phenomenal game that of course included amazing shooting from beyond the arc. Curry had 38 points 11 rebounds and 8 assists and by no standard is that being shut down, but there is no denying that Curry was bothered.
Curry had one of his worst shooting nights of the season with a mark of 9-27. Curry did a lot of his damage at the free throw line and that was directly a result of the unbelievable defense played by the Celtics. Even with the Warriors’ stellar ball movement the Celtics refused to give Curry any Space. Avery Bradley led the way but Evan Turner also did a phenomenal job when he had to cover the MVP. In addition to the 18 missed shots, Curry also had 8 turnovers.
Dec 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics found a way to get into any space that Curry tried to get and even if he still has a great looking box score, the Celtics were playing the exact kind of defense that is needed to slow down the most unstoppable offensive force in the NBA.
The Warriors streak lives on as they continue to get closer and closer to the record 33 straight wins and even if this game against the Celtics is just another challenge overcome by the Warriors, they proved that they can compete with the best the NBA has to offer. The Celtics have been a difficult team to gauge this year but after what they accomplished against the Warriors the league is going to be in a lot of trouble when Marcus Smart returns.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of that game is the amount of easy opportunities blown by the Celtics. They were up to the herculean task of slowing down Curry but when it came to easy layups under the rim and free throws at the charity stripe, the Celtics continually faltered.
The Celtics got the best game of Kelly Olynyk‘s career but 56.3% at the free throw line as a team is beyond unacceptable. The Celtics would have liked to get to the line more often but they still gave away 7 points at the line. The Celtics passed the ball extremely well with 32 assists and they had 6 different players in double digit scoring. They had the ball movement they needed but too many mistakes lead to them falling just short
The Celtics had two opportunities to win the game at the buzzer but they couldn’t get a good shot to close it out. The Warriors have established a culture of winning and even if they were pushed to the absolute limit, they did just enough to get a victory.
The biggest thing the Celtics can take away from this is their defense is good enough to matchup against any offense in the league. There has been a lot said about the Celtics’ lack of talent but that is exclusively on the offensive end. The Celtics always have an incredible effort and they went toe to toe against the best offense in the league without their best defender in Marcus Smart and limited them to 39% overall shooting and 29% from three.
The Celtics were extremely aggressive and left no space for the Warriors while forcing 18 turnovers. The problem is that aggressiveness also lead to 39 free throw attempts for the Warriors and considering the Celtics only had 16 attempts, that was a crucial deciding factor in the game. Throw in that Avery Bradley fouled out and there is no doubting that there may have been a different result had the Celtics avoided fouling.
The Celtics had an opportunity to make a statement by being the first team to beat the reigning champions but they still put the league on watch in a loss. The Celtics’ confidence is growing and if they can fix the small errors on the offensive end then this defense will lead to a lot of success.
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Brad Stevens is building something special with this Celtics team and with their youth they could be the most improved team from now until the end of the season. The east is much more challenging than a season ago but if the Warriors game is any indication then the Celtics will be a force to be reckoned with.