Ryan: Celtics’ 3rd-quarter woes have carried over into NBA Finals - much to the Warriors’ delight

Celtics fans had seen this chain of events play out countless times already this spring — oftentimes under bated breath, with sweat accumulating on their brows and their line of sight obscured by their hands clasped over their visage.

Watching playoff basketball is already a stressful endeavor by itself. But the 2021-22 Celtics have developed a consistent (and painful) knack for elevating the heart rate of their collective fandom by sleepwalking through pivotal third-quarter stretches. 

And when Jordan Poole successfully sank a 39-foot, half-court heave to beat the buzzer on Sunday night, it represented a new low for a Celtics team that has hit that floor countless times in the penultimate quarters of games.

Three wins might be all that separates the Celtics from Banner 18, but the road that Ime Udoka’s squad has taken has been paved by many setbacks and pulse-pounding momentum swings, often coming out of the halftime break.

Entering Sunday’s Game 2 rematch with the Warriors at Chase Center, the Celtics had already trudged through three playoff outings in which they were outscored by 14 or more points in the third quarter. During their seven-game slugfest with the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the C’s inability to step on the gas coming out of the intermission was a familiar flaw, with Boston outscored, 98-68, in the third quarter of its three losses to Miami. 

But with a team as talented as Boston, perhaps the most concerning consequence of these midgame stretches stuck in neutral is not just the simple win-loss record.

Rather, it’s the fact that this roster is so capable of mitigating the damage — if not absolving themselves of the criticism completely — that they have repeated these third-quarter slumps time and time again, often buoyed by the assumption that they can claw themselves out of whatever hole they dig for themselves.

Such was the case in Game 1 against the Warriors, in which the C’s were outscored by Golden State, 38-24, in the third quarter — only to snatch away a victory on the road thanks to a blistering 40-16 counter-punch in the fourth.

The Celtics do have the mettle, buy-in, star power and resilience in place to withstand the heaviest of hooks delivered by opponents. But against a team like the Warriors, you can only play with fire so many times before you get burned. 

And in Game 2, the C’s found themselves on the receiving end of a pyroclastic flow, with an overdue (and entirely expected) heater by the Warriors knotting this best-of-seven series up at one game apiece.

There would be no late-game rallies, no silver linings gained this time around for the Celtics. 

By the time Poole threw up that last-second shot that managed to dip through netting, the Warriors had outscored the Celtics, 35-14, in the third quarter — turning what was a two-point halftime lead for the Dubs into an outright laugher.

“We talk about how we finish quarters and how that momentum can carry over,” Steph Curry said of Poole’s buzzer-beater. “That was obviously a big shot to get the crowd into it. Put kind of a dagger on that great third quarter that we had.” 

Once the fourth quarter rolled around, both teams were ready to empty their bench — with Udoka and Co. waving the white flag and setting their sights toward the Garden. 

As has been the case throughout this title run, the C’s were done in by a potent mix of turnovers and the opposition catching fire. In the third quarter alone, the Celtics turned the ball over five times, leading to 11 Golden State points. While Boston scored a whopping two points over the final 4:32 of the third, the Warriors countered with 19 points of their own. 

For Draymond Green and the Warriors, the shift in fortune for Golden State had more to do with an adjustment between the ears, as opposed to adjustments made on the whiteboard.

“I think it was definitely an attitude adjustment,” Green said. “Like I said, we didn't play with enough force the entire 48 minutes. We had spurts where we played with the right amount of force in Game 1. But overall, against a team like that, you can't let your foot off the gas pedal. All they need to see is one shot go in, and it can start a domino effect.

"We knew. Like I said last game, they are who we thought they were. So we knew we had to keep our foot on the gas pedal and not let up, and we did that, and we were able to come out with the win.”

If there is any sort of consolation from a game in which the C’s trailed by as much as 29 points, it’s that Boston’s woes are correctable … again. 

Once again, if the C’s can take care of the basketball and limit the number of gimmies and easy baskets they hand to the Warriors (a foe that has no problem making you pay by way of a salvo of trey balls), the road is there to snuff out these third-quarter letdowns once and for all.

It’s the same lecture that John has delivered out here during the Nets series. … And the Bucks series. … And the Heat series. So far, the C’s have yet to learn from their past mistakes.

Perhaps that will eventually change against the Warriors.

Not only given the stakes at play on basketball’s highest stage, but because this Golden State team can (and will) make you pay over and over and over again. … with devastating effect. 

“Ultimately when you're playing against a good team, they are not going to waver,” Green said of the Celtics. “They are going to continue to play their game, whether it's going their way or not. Last game, it was the same thing. Like I thought we were playing great and we didn't create much separation, then we did. Difference was we gave it back. Tonight we didn't want to give it back.

“Ultimately we always talk about playing 48 minutes, and if we do that, we feel like they will break at some point, not just them, just over the course of a season. If we can put a good 48 minutes together, you trust in that work, and hopefully they will break, and we were able to pull ahead tonight.”