The Boston Celtics went limp in the first half against the Golden State Warriors. A great defensive press shook them completely off-balance, and one of the most electric offenses in the league was held to just 40 points. But they battled all the way back, and in the final minutes, it was a one-possession game.
Unfortunately, offensive rebounds got the best of Boston. Time and time again, they got stops but failed to corral the board. It was a plague that swept over the entire team on the final few offensive possessions. Golden State walked away with a 118-112 win.
But rather than blaming the rebounds themselves, Joe Mazzulla blamed Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry helped Warriors snag offensive rebounds vs. Celtics
After the game, when asked about Golden State’s flurry of offensive boards in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla attributed it to Boston’s intense focus on keeping track of Curry running around the court.
“When you have an alertness to Curry, being in shifts, trying to stop him as a team, they do a good job of cutting behind you,” Mazzulla said. “I thought one was off an air-ball, one was off a blocked shot, and I thought the Hield one was the toughest one. I thought the other two were a little 50/50. But that's what happens.”
Obviously, Curry was Curry. He impacted the game in other ways, too. The Warriors superstar finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, four steals, and one block, all while shooting 8-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
But for all of the offensive impact Curry brought to the table, his ability to keep the defense distracted proved to be his greatest.
From Kevon Looney’s put-backs to Buddy Hield slipping behind Boston’s defense for a back-breaking offensive board in the closing minutes, Curry’s gravity left space.
And the Celtics didn’t adjust quickly enough.
By the time the game closed, the Warriors’ offensive rebounding number catapulted from 12 to 15 in the final two minutes alone.
Golden State’s defensive scheme was a huge part of their victory. They stifled Boston’s offense in the first half. Hield’s shot-making was essential, too. But in the end, it was their offensive rebounding that sealed the deal and closed the door on an impressive Celtics comeback.
Offensive rebounds are absolute backbreakers, and that was certainly the case on Wednesday night. Boston fought hard, but it just wasn’t enough once the rebounds started piling up.